Fort Worth, TX — July 22, 2024, 67-year-old Roger Leavens was killed in a single-vehicle accident on Beach Street in Tarrant County.
According to preliminary reports, the incident happened around 10:15 p.m. on the 12700 block of North Beach Street near Champions View Parkway. Investigators allege that Leavens was driving a Kia Soul north when he may have lost control for unknown reasons. The vehicle drove onto the grass median, where it carried forward a short distance before it struck a tree. After the impact the Kia rebounded into the northbound lanes of the roadway.
Roger Leavens was fatally injured in the accident. No other vehicles or people were involved.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
I’m more than a little concerned that people will read the few sentences authorities provided and try to fill in the blanks for themselves. Some might assume the driver was speeding, using his phone, or fell asleep while driving; more pessimistic types might add something about impairment (though officials mentioned nothing of the sort). Investigators will probably at least consider those possibilities, but they can’t be taken for granted. What if something less common or harder to detect caused the crash?
For instance, vehicle defects are more common than people might realize—not as common as texting or drinking, maybe, but they still hurt or kill motorists every day all over the world. Like the General Motors “ignition switch” recall a few years ago: Over a hundred people were killed and many more injured by a defective part that could shut down a vehicle’s electrical systems with just a jiggled keyring. Why did it take years to figure out what caused so many crashes? Because the people investigating them didn’t have the resources or insight needed to check something as technical as a part failure. Until independent investigators were able to connect the dots by looking at the common factors of thousands of these accidents, many people were unfairly blamed for crashes that were entirely out of their hands.
Is it possible something common caused the crash on Beach Street? Sure. Is it still also possible that something unusual or unforeseeable was responsible for it? Definitely. That’s why it’s crucial to ensure experienced, properly-equipped professionals look into the matter. At the very least the victim’s loved ones deserve to know every effort was made to uncover the full story. Anything else would depend on what that story tells.
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