Texas City, TX — July 21, 2025, Daniel Martinez was injured in a car accident at about 2:05 a.m. in the 1400 block of 14th Street North.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2017 Toyota Camry was heading south near 15th Avenue North when it crashed into a tree.

Driver Daniel Martinez, 39, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report. He died the next day.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

After any serious accident, questions always linger; ones that don't just seek to explain what happened, but why it happened the way it did. Especially in incidents where a vehicle leaves the roadway and hits a fixed object, there’s often more going on than meets the eye. Getting to the truth requires more than surface-level answers.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? When a car crashes into a tree in the early morning hours, there’s a natural impulse to chalk it up to driver error or fatigue. But the real question is whether crash investigators dug deeper. Did they laser-map the scene or reconstruct the vehicle’s path to determine what led it off course? Was the driver’s behavior in the moments before impact, like speed or steering, carefully examined through available surveillance or witness accounts? Not every officer is trained in advanced crash reconstruction, and without that level of scrutiny, meaningful details can be overlooked.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? A tree strike doesn't always mean the driver lost control by choice or distraction. Mechanical failures — like sudden brake loss, steering lock-ups or even faulty stability controls — can push a car off the road. Especially with a vehicle several years old, it’s worth asking whether a post-crash mechanical inspection was done at all. If no one checked for malfunctions, then a critical piece of the puzzle may still be missing.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? Modern vehicles leave behind a data trail. Engine control modules can reveal braking patterns, speed and steering inputs in the moments before the crash. Phones and GPS systems might show if the driver was navigating, calling or texting. Without pulling that data, any conclusion about what happened is built on guesswork, not facts. It’s unclear whether any of that information was secured here, or if it was even considered.

When a crash like this happens, it’s not just about the impact. It’s about everything leading up to it. Surface details can’t always explain why a vehicle veers off course. That’s why tough questions matter: they push us past assumptions and toward accountability.

Key Takeaways:

• Investigators need specialized tools and training to fully understand what caused a single-car crash.
• Older vehicles may hide mechanical failures that aren’t obvious without a thorough inspection.
• Collecting onboard data and phone records is key to understanding a driver’s actions before a wreck.