Three Injured in Single-Vehicle Accident on Galveston Road in Houston, TX
Houston, TX -- December 11, 2021, three people were seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident on Galveston Road in Harris County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 5:00 p.m. on Galveston Rd near Clear Lake City Boulevard. Preliminary investigation suggests a Mercury Grand Marquis sedan was traveling north on the roadway when a witness traveling nearby saw it go out of control. The car veered to the right and struck the guardrail, then overturned and rolled several times before hitting a drainage pipe.
One person was reportedly ejected during the rollover. A second managed to exit the overturned car, while the third was trapped inside when police arrived.
All three of the car's occupants suffered serious injuries in the crash.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Single-Vehicle Accident off I-35 in Lewisville
Police thought speeding was a key factor here but also noted that intoxication may have been involved. Given the alleged circumstances of the crash that seems plausible, but it's best not to jump to conclusions. At this point no one can say for certain what caused the crash; for all anyone knows it could have been something far more unusual than drinking or speeding. For instance, what if some kind of mechanical issue in the vehicle sent it off the road?
That may seem a little far-fetched, but vehicle failures are behind more accidents than people may realize. For example, consider the infamous GM "ignition switch" defect a few years ago. That issue, triggered in most cases by nothing more than a simple heavy or jiggled keyring, reportedly caused accidents that killed over a hundred people and injured many others. Despite the hazard the defect presented, nobody really understood it for several years. It took many independent investigators analyzing thousands of crashes to bring the issue to light, and even afterward getting the manufacturer to take responsibility lasted for years. In the meantime, how many innocent people were blamed for accidents that were actually beyond their control?
I'm not saying the wreck in Lewisville was necessarily due to something like that. Further investigation could still confirm that it was caused by something more common like speeding or intoxication. My point is more that jumping to conclusions is a bad idea when reading reports like this because they rarely have enough information to make accurate judgments. The victims of the crash deserve clear answers and any help to which they're entitled. Making sure they get what they need should be everyone's focus as the investigation continues.
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