Harris County, TX — January 31, 2026, a man was killed and a child was injured in a car accident at approximately 9:00 p.m. along Interstate Highway 45.

According to authorities, a man was traveling in a southbound Dodge Durango on Gulf Freeway when the accident took place. Reports have not yet specified the exact location.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, the Durango was involved in a single-vehicle collision in which it apparently crashed into a wall and became disabled. The man exited the vehicle after the initial crash, according to reports, and was subsequently struck by a Chevrolet pickup truck.

The pedestrian reportedly sustained fatal injuries due to the collision. A 9-year-old child who had been a passenger in the pickup truck suffered injuries of unknown severity, as well, reports state; she was transported to a local medical facility by EMS in order to receive necessary treatment.

Additional details pertaining to this incident—including the identities of the victims—are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Crashes that unfold in multiple stages often leave more questions than answers. When a driver survives an initial wreck only to be fatally struck moments later, the line between survival and loss becomes razor-thin—and determining how and why it happened takes more than surface-level assumptions.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?

A full investigation should treat both the initial impact and the fatal pedestrian strike as distinct but connected events. Did the crash scene receive proper reconstruction to understand where the Durango came to rest, where the man exited the vehicle, and whether he had any safe route away from danger? And just as importantly—did officers evaluate whether the second driver had time to see and avoid the pedestrian? These details are vital to understanding not just how, but whether this outcome could have been avoided.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?

The root cause of the Durango’s initial crash matters. Did the steering lock up, did a tire blow out, or did the braking system fail, sending the SUV into the wall? These failures can happen without leaving obvious clues behind and should never be ruled out without a full inspection. And in the case of the striking pickup truck, its forward collision detection systems—if equipped—should also be tested to see whether they failed to warn the driver or activate any automatic braking features.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?

The Durango’s onboard systems could shed light on what triggered the crash in the first place—braking pressure, steering input, vehicle speed, and more. Meanwhile, the Chevrolet pickup’s event data recorder may tell us whether the driver took any evasive action or was unaware of the pedestrian until it was too late. That information becomes even more important when you consider a child passenger was also injured in the aftermath.

When accidents unfold in layers like this, it’s easy to fixate on what happened last. But clarity comes from following every thread—starting with the first impact and tracking each decision, failure, or chance event that followed.

• Both stages of the crash need full investigation to understand sequence, timing, and pedestrian exposure.
• Vehicle malfunctions—especially in the Durango—may have initiated a chain of events and must be ruled out.
• Data from both vehicles can confirm how each driver responded and whether safety systems performed as expected.