Bastrop County, TX — July 25, 2024, Rosanna Schapansky and another person were injured in a car accident just before 7 p.m. in the 400 block of Shiloh Road.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a westbound 2021 Chevrolet Malibu collided with an eastbound 2020 Nissan Armada east of F.M. 20.

Nissan driver Rosanna Schapansky, 33, and an 18-year-old woman riding in the Chevrolet were seriously injured in the crash, according to the report.

The Chevrolet driver and another passenger suffered minor injuries, the report states.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Bastrop County crash.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

After a serious crash, the questions that follow often go deeper than who had the green light or which direction someone was headed. What truly matters, especially when people are badly hurt, is understanding the full picture of what caused the collision and whether anything could have prevented it.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? With head-on collisions like this, there's a lot that hinges on the exact position of the vehicles just before impact. That’s why it matters whether investigators went beyond basic on-scene measurements. Did they use tools like laser mapping to reconstruct vehicle paths? Did they look into whether either driver was fatigued, distracted or possibly reacting to something in the roadway? It’s also worth asking whether the investigating officers had the training to assess such a serious crash in depth, because not every department has personnel who specialize in this kind of analysis.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? When two cars strike head-on, it’s easy to assume someone simply veered out of their lane. But mechanical issues — like a steering failure, brake malfunction or tire blowout — can just as easily push a vehicle off course. If nobody brought in a qualified mechanic to inspect the vehicles before they were towed away or salvaged, that kind of evidence may be gone for good. Crashes that seem straightforward often aren’t, and ignoring the machines involved is a common mistake.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? Most vehicles today are constantly recording data. Speed, steering input, braking, seatbelt use; it’s all in there. Not only that, but phones and GPS devices may also show whether a driver was using navigation or possibly distracted. If that information hasn’t been downloaded and preserved, key facts about how this crash unfolded could remain hidden. It’s especially important when multiple people in different vehicles are seriously hurt, and there's more than one version of events.

When lives are turned upside down by a crash, getting to the truth requires asking more than just the obvious questions. It's not just about who was going which way. It’s about understanding what was missed, overlooked or never asked in the first place.

Key Takeaways:

• Serious crashes need more than a routine police report. They demand expert investigation.
• Vehicle defects, while often ignored, can be the hidden cause of major accidents.
• Data from car systems and devices may hold the clearest answers about what really happened.