Galveston County, TX — Jun 30, 2024, Gabriela Bernabe and four others were injured in a car accident at approximately 2:30 p.m. along Parkwood Avenue.

According to authorities, five people—31-year-old Gabriela Bernabe, a 1-year-old boy, a 9-year-old boy, a 6-year-old boy, and a 28-year-old man—were traveling in a westbound Chevrolet Tahoe on Parkwood Avenue in the vicinity of the San Joaquin Parkway intersection when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a southbound Toyota 4Runner occupied by a 16-year-old boy attempted to pull out of a private drive and onto Parkwood at an apparently unsafe time, failing to yield the right-of-way to roadway traffic. A collision consequently occurred between the front-left quarter of the 4Runner and the front-end of the Tahoe.

Bernabe reportedly sustained serious injuries over the course of the accident. All other occupants of the Tahoe sustained minor injuries, as well. They were each transported to local medical facilities by EMS in order to receive necessary treatment. The boy who had been behind the wheel of the 4Runner received minor injuries, as well, though he apparently found other means of transportation for medical attention. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Crashes involving children always raise deeper concerns—not just about who had the right-of-way, but whether every piece of information was gathered before the scene was cleared. When a young driver pulls into a busy street and gets hit hard enough to send five people to the hospital, that’s a situation worth more than just a surface-level review.

1. Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
A crash with this many people involved calls for more than just a routine police report. Did investigators analyze the angle of impact, distances between the driveway and the point of collision, or whether the Tahoe had any time to react? When a teen driver is involved, it's even more important to determine whether inexperience, poor judgment, or something else led to the miscalculation. If these kinds of details weren’t recorded, the full truth may be lost.

2. Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
Sometimes a driver thinks it’s safe to go because their view isn’t obstructed—but what if a brake issue delayed their stop? What if a worn-out transmission hesitated before accelerating? On the Tahoe’s end, if a crash avoidance system failed to alert or respond, that matters too. By now, any chance to inspect the vehicles for those clues may be gone. But whether or not a defect played a role, the question should’ve been asked early on.

3. Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
Both the 4Runner and the Tahoe likely have systems that can tell us a lot—how fast each was moving, whether brakes were applied, and what actions the drivers took in the final seconds. In a crash involving a driveway entry, timing is everything. That data can confirm whether the Tahoe tried to avoid the 4Runner and how much time either driver had to react. It's the kind of evidence that often settles what memory or witness statements cannot.

When kids are in a car, assumptions just aren’t good enough. The responsibility is greater, and so is the need to get the facts straight—before the opportunity to do so disappears.

Takeaways:

• A detailed crash investigation should assess driver judgment, vehicle distances, and timing.
• Mechanical issues or system failures in either vehicle might have contributed to the crash.
• Electronic data can help confirm whether evasive actions were taken and how fast the crash unfolded.