Dallas County, TX — July 21, 2024, Celia Alaniz and four others were injure due to a three-car accident at about 3:45 p.m. along U.S. Highway 80.

According to authorities, three people—a 52-year-old man, 49-year-old Celia Alaniz, and a 14-year-old girl—were traveling in an eastbound Toyota Corolla on U.S. 80 in the vicinity east of Collins Road when the accident took place.

Traffic in the area at the time was apparently beginning to slow. Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, an eastbound GMC Sierra pickup truck occupied by a 32-year-old man failed to appropriately control its speed. A collision consequently occurred between the front-end of the Sierra and the rear-end of an eastbound Toyota Tacoma pickup truck occupied by a 21-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman. The impact caused the Tacoma to veer left into the grassy median and overturn, coming to a stop resting on its right side. The Sierra continued east, according to reports, crashing into the rear-end of the Corolla, as well.

Alaniz and the teenage girl who had been with her in the Corolla reportedly sustained serious injuries over the course of the accident. The man who had been driving the Corolla, the passenger of the Tacoma, and the driver of the Sierra suffered minor injuries, as well. Reports state that the man who had been behind the wheel of the Tacoma may also have been hurt. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When multiple vehicles collide in chain-reaction fashion, it’s tempting to chalk the whole thing up to a single moment of inattention. But when serious injuries result—especially across several vehicles—the only responsible thing is to examine what truly caused the crash to spiral out of control.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
In any multi-car collision, scene complexity makes quality investigation even more important. Did officers map the vehicle positions, measure skid marks, and document the sequence of impacts? Did they check whether the GMC Sierra had enough time to stop once traffic began to slow? These aren't minor steps—they’re the foundation of determining not just what happened, but how. Without a detailed reconstruction, there's a risk of oversimplifying what might have been a cascading failure across several moments and decisions.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
When a driver plows into the back of one vehicle and keeps going into another, it raises the possibility that something in the Sierra malfunctioned. Brake failure, electronic stability issues, or even stuck acceleration can’t be ruled out just because driver error is the easy explanation. If no inspection was done, then any system flaw in the Sierra—especially one that turned a manageable slowdown into a double-impact crash—could go undetected.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
The vehicles involved—particularly the Sierra—likely hold critical electronic records of what happened in the seconds leading up to and during the crash. That includes speed, braking attempts, throttle position, and steering input. Those details can confirm whether the driver even tried to avoid the collision. Cameras in the area, or dashcams from other drivers, may also show how fast the Sierra was moving and whether the slowdown ahead was visible in time. Without that data, investigators are left to guess.

When multiple people end up injured because one vehicle failed to stop, there's a duty to dig deeper. What caused the failure may not be obvious—but the cost of overlooking it is far too high.

Key Takeaways

• Multi-vehicle crashes demand a detailed timeline and physical scene analysis.
• Vehicle defects—especially brake or control failures—must be ruled out, not assumed away.
• Data from onboard systems and traffic cameras can clarify what actions were or weren’t taken.