Harrison County, TX — January 21, 2024, Robert Kernell was killed and one person was injured after a car accident at around 1:45 a.m. along Interstate 20.
Authorities said in preliminary statements that the crash happened off of westbound I-20 near State Loop 281, just outside Longview.
Investigators said that 48-year-old Robert Kernell and a 46-year-old man were in a Ford F-350 reportedly going westbound along the interstate. Somehow, their vehicle went off the side of the road, went through the roadside ditch, and ultimately crashed on a railroad embankment.
Due to the collision, Kernell sustained fatal injuries while the driver of the Ford reportedly had serious injuries. There were no other reported injuries, and authorities make no mention of other vehicles being involved in the crash. Right now, there are no other confirmed details about the crash.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
One thing that always concerns me with single-vehicle wrecks is whether or not authorities handling the investigations are actually dedicating enough time and resources to ensure nothing important slips through the cracks. I know folks think a single-vehicle wreck can’t be all that complex, but it’s actually one of the most common types of accidents people call our firm to ask about.
Simply put, there is no shortage of examples of families left in the dark because authorities aren’t able to give them clear answers about what went wrong. These families feel lost because they know their loved one wore their seatbelt, drove safely, never drove drunk, and was never on their phone. That leaves open possibilities like manufacturers’ defects, road hazards medical conditions, hit-and-runs, road design flaws, and other less common factors that, frankly, authorities rarely have the tools or training to handle properly. Without independent accident reconstructions, then, it simply remains a mystery whether or not anything unusual led to the crash that authorities overlooked.
Now, some people may be skeptical of all this because of how often single-vehicle wrecks are the result of reckless driving. It is true that driver error is a common factor in these situations. There were times we informed the families that something like cell phone usage, speeding, or a bar’s illegal over-service of alcohol, for example, led to their loved one’s death. The difference is that those families were reassured that other possibilities were thoroughly considered and ruled out with proper investigations. That allowed them to get peace of mind that too often doesn’t come when a family is left in the dark wondering if there’s something they’re missing.
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