• December 02, 2022

Corpus Christi, TX — April 22, 2022, 45-year-old Jennifer Vasquez was injured in an auto accident on Interstate 37 in Nueces County.

Authorities say the incident happened around 10:25 a.m. on I-37 near Violet Street. Preliminary investigation suggests a Jeep Cherokee was southbound on the highway, traveling some distance behind Vasquez in a Chevy Malibu. According to reports Vasquez stopped at a yield sign and the Jeep failed to slow in response, then crashed into the back of the Malibu.

Vasquez suffered serious injuries in the collision. The Jeep driver reportedly received minor injuries.

No further information is available at this time.

Commentary on Jennifer Vasquez Accident in Corpus Christi

Police think the Jeep driver's failure to slow was the main reason for this accident. I have no reason to doubt that, but the cause of a crash and the cause of a victim's injuries aren't always the same thing. That's why it's important to investigate carefully and be sure all the wreck's contributing factors are recognized. For instance, did anyone check to see if the Malibu's safety features worked correctly during the collision?

Many times over the years we've found that a collision became much worse than it had to be because airbags deployed late or not at all (or ejected metal shrapnel at the people they were supposed to protect), or because seat belts didn't tighten or broke at the buckle. Those are just some of the many defects and malfunctions we've found that were overlooked by police as their attention went only to figuring out who they could charge.

Maybe nothing like that happened here, but I'd argue that victims of just about any crash deserve as much information as they can get about how and why they were hurt. Sometimes fault extends no further than the person who crashed into them, but only after a full investigation could anyone say that for sure. If there's more to the story and police didn't find that out, should someone else take another look?