Laredo, TX — May 20, 2024, Anabel Gonzalez and Monica Cornejo were injured following a car accident that occurred at around 10:00 A.M. on I-35 N.
Authorities are investigating a car accident that sent two people to the hospital during the morning hours of May 20th. According to official reports, the accident occurred in the northbound lanes of I-35 near the Delmar exit, when a Nissan March driven by Anabel Gonzalez, suffered a tire blowout which caused it to lose control and strike a Buick Enclave driven by Monica Cornejo.
When first responders arrived on the scene they found that Gonzalez had been ejected from the vehicle and suffered serious injuries, with Cornejo having sustained moderate injuries. Both individuals were taken to the hospital for treatment, with Gonzalez being transported via helicopter. At this time there has been no update on the status of Gonzalez and Cornejo’s injuries.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Tire blowouts can lead to devastating crashes, leaving victims injured and families searching for answers. While they’re often seen as unfortunate but unavoidable incidents, experience has shown me that these events deserve closer scrutiny. To fully understand why a blowout happened and whether anything could have been done to prevent the crash, it’s essential to ask three critical questions.
The first question is whether authorities conducted a thorough investigation. When a tire blowout leads to a crash, it’s important to go beyond the obvious and examine all contributing factors. Did investigators inspect the tire to determine whether it failed due to a manufacturing defect, improper maintenance, or road hazards? Did they look for debris or hazards at the crash site that might have caused the failure? Tire blowouts are not always the result of driver error, and a comprehensive examination of the crash scene, vehicle damage, and tire condition is essential to understanding what went wrong.
The second question is whether anyone has looked into the possibility of a vehicle or tire defect contributing to the crash. Tires are among the most critical safety components of any vehicle, but defects in their design or manufacturing can lead to sudden failure, even when properly maintained. For example, a hidden structural flaw could cause a blowout under normal driving conditions. Similarly, vehicles are expected to remain stable during tire failures, but some designs struggle to maintain control when this happens. A detailed forensic inspection of both the tire and the vehicle is necessary to determine whether a defect contributed to the crash. Preserving the tire and vehicle for this type of analysis is key to uncovering these potential issues.
The third question is whether all electronic data related to the crash has been collected. Modern vehicles are equipped with Electronic Control Modules (ECMs) that store critical information about what happened in the moments leading up to a crash, such as speed, steering input, and braking patterns. This data can help show how the driver reacted to the blowout and whether the vehicle’s systems responded as designed. Additionally, surveillance footage, dashcam recordings, or nearby traffic cameras may have captured the incident and could provide further clarity. Collecting and preserving this data as soon as possible is crucial to ensure nothing is lost or overwritten.
Crashes caused by tire blowouts are often dismissed as unfortunate accidents, but they deserve closer scrutiny. For those injured in this crash, clear answers about what caused the tire to fail and whether the vehicle responded as it should have are essential. A thorough investigation that addresses these three questions is the best way to ensure no detail is overlooked and that those affected by the crash get the answers they need.
call us 
Email Us 
Text us