Daniel Barrientos Killed, Two Injured in San Antonio, TX Rollover Accident
UPDATE (July 8, 2022): Sources have identified the person killed in this accident as Daniel Barrientos. The two injured victims have not yet been identified.
San Antonio, TX — July 4, 2022, one man died and two others were injured in a rollover crash on West Woodlawn Avenue in North San Antonio.
According to reports the incident happened around 1:30 a.m. on Woodlawn near Blanco Road. Preliminary investigation and witness statements say a pickup truck was speeding in the area when the driver lost control and hit a curb. The truck went airborne and rolled over before landing.
Three young men were in the pickup. One passenger was pronounced dead at the scene and the other two men were transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
Witnesses also told police they saw the truck doing donuts in a nearby parking lot before the accident. The injured driver may face criminal charges upon his release from the hospital.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Single-Vehicle Wreck on Woodlawn in San Antonio
It's not clear what exactly went wrong here, so I hope people don't jump to any conclusions until the picture is clearer. Folks read about a single-vehicle wreck and tend to think the driver was speeding or looking at their phone, or even--more cynically--that they were impaired, particularly in crashes around this time of night.
Each of those is well-known for causing similar accidents and they're important to investigate. If alcohol was a factor that might even have further-reaching implications since a local business might have violated dram shop law and would then be liable for the driver's fatal injuries.
However, just because some factors are common doesn't mean they should be taken for granted. Will authorities consider less-common possibilities too?
Take for example the infamous GM ignition switch defect from years ago. A manufacturing mistake led an important part to suddenly cut off power to vehicles, robbing them of vital safety features like anti-lock braking, power steering, and even airbags. It sometimes left drivers going highway speeds with little to no control over their vehicles.
Until investigators figured out the common link between all those wrecks, though, far too many people were unfairly blamed for accidents that were entirely out of their control. Situations like that are why jumping to conclusions can be so harmful and why the right people must look into things to find answers.
