South Padre Island, TX — July 8, 2025, a Keller woman was injured in a car accident at about 11:20 a.m. in the 700 block of Padre Boulevard.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a northbound 2002 Dodge Ram collided with a southbound 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The Cadillac also was rear-ended by a 2021 Toyota Tacoma.

A 39-year-old Keller woman, who was driving the Cadillac, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report. Her name has not been made public yet.

An 11-year-old girl who was riding in the back seat and the driver of the Dodge suffered minor injuries, the report states, but none of the other people involved in the crash were hurt.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Cameron County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

After a major crash, people often look for quick answers — what went wrong, who’s to blame — but the truth tends to live in the details. And unless those details are carefully collected and closely examined, the real cause of a wreck might never come to light.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? Given the three-vehicle setup described in the report, investigators should have taken time to untangle the sequence of impacts, particularly since one vehicle was struck head-on while another was rear-ended. That calls for more than just a written diagram. Did they laser map the scene? Did they document skid marks or debris fields to piece together the vehicle paths? And were the drivers’ conditions before the wreck, like distraction or impairment, fully looked into? Unfortunately, not all officers have advanced crash reconstruction training, and that can lead to critical questions going unanswered, especially in complex, multi-vehicle crashes like this one.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? With older and newer vehicles involved, mechanical failure can't be ruled out without an inspection. A 2002 Dodge Ram has had years of wear: did the brakes give out, or was there a steering issue? On the other hand, even modern vehicles like a 2021 Escalade or Tacoma can experience sensor malfunctions or electronic glitches. Without a professional teardown of each vehicle, it’s hard to say whether something mechanical contributed to the crash. That kind of inspection doesn't always happen unless someone pushes for it.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? Nearly every modern vehicle has some form of onboard engine control module. Pulling crash data from the Cadillac and Tacoma could show speeds, braking efforts or even if advanced safety systems activated. Cell phone records and GPS logs could also reveal whether distraction or sudden lane shifts were factors. With a wreck this severe, you’d hope investigators secured and analyzed that information before it disappeared, but there's no guarantee that happened unless someone asked.

Some crashes are simple. This one doesn’t look like it was. When multiple vehicles collide and people are seriously hurt, a surface-level review won't cut it. The real answers come from digging deep, and making sure no detail, digital or mechanical, gets left behind.

Key Takeaways:

• Serious crashes need full-scale reconstructions, not just quick scene reports.
• Older and newer vehicles alike should be checked for mechanical or electronic failures.
• Data from phones and onboard systems can help clarify what happened, but only if it’s collected in time.