Smith County, TX — September 19, 2024, 43-year-old Oranda Ross was seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident on Country Road 431 in Smith County.
According to authorities, the accident happened around 8:55 p.m. on CR 431 near CR 452. Preliminary investigation suggests Oranda Ross was driving a Ford Edge SUV southeast on the roadway when a deer allegedly ran into her path. She swerved to avoid it and lost control; the SUV then ran off the road and crashed into a tree, after which it caught fire.
Oranda Ross was seriously injured in the crash. No other vehicles or people were involved.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
People don’t always realize that the cause of a crash and the cause of the victim’s injuries aren’t necessarily the same thing. The above accident seems like a good reason to mention that, since a wayward deer apparently caused it. People may think that means there’s nothing more to say, since you can’t exactly hold a deer accountable. If investigators don’t look any closer, though, they may overlook something important about why the victim got so hurt in Smith County.
What do I mean? Well, decades in my field have taught me that many safety features don’t always work as intended during a crash. Seatbelt pretensioners fail, airbags don’t inflate in time or enough (or in some cases explode), brakes don’t catch or lock up…sometimes people end up far more injured than they realistically should have been, and that may be because their vehicle rolled off the line defective.
I’m not claiming to know anything about this crash beyond what’s publicly available. With a deer to blame for triggering the crash, though, many people will see no need to look any closer at its overall circumstances. The injured victim deserves to know that every effort was made to uncover the whole story; I just hope investigators delivered on that.
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