Travis County, TX — September 12, 2024, Hiram Garcia was injured in a car accident just after 2:45 p.m. along the Mopac Expressway service road.

According to authorities, 41-year-old Hiram Garcia was traveling in an eastbound Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck on South Capital of Texas Highway at the intersection with the Mopac Expressway southbound service road when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, the pickup truck was rear-ended by a Lexus. Garcia reportedly sustained serious injuries due to the wreck. No other injuries have been reported. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When someone suffers serious injuries in a crash like the one reported along the Mopac Expressway service road, it's important to be sure the incident is being thoroughly investigated from all angles. In my more than 30 years of experience handling serious accident cases across Texas, I have seen time and again how critical it is to dig deeper than surface explanations.

One key question to address is whether the authorities conducted a thorough investigation of the crash. While the reports indicate a rear-end collision, it’s essential to make sure officials gathered all available evidence, such as scene photographs, skid mark measurements, witness interviews, and vehicle inspections. A thorough investigation ensures that nothing important—like whether traffic patterns or visibility issues played a role—is overlooked.

Another important question is whether a vehicle defect might have contributed to the accident. Rear-end collisions often point to simple driver error, but mechanical issues like brake failures or accelerator malfunctions can sometimes be underlying causes. If any mechanical issues were present in either the Dodge Ram or the Lexus, they could have played a critical role in the wreck and deserve careful examination.

Finally, it's worth asking whether all available electronic data has been preserved and reviewed. Modern vehicles often contain event data recorders that capture critical information such as speed, braking, and steering inputs in the moments before impact. Accessing and analyzing this information can reveal whether driver behavior or mechanical failure contributed to the collision.

Answering these three questions is critical to making sure that no stone is left unturned in understanding the causes of a crash like this. Serious wrecks deserve serious investigation, not assumptions. Getting clear answers to these questions is crucial for those seeking to understand what happened and why—and it's the least that can be done to help those affected find the clarity and closure they deserve.