El Paso, TX — September 12, 2024, a 15-year-old boy was injured in a hit-and-run accident at about 11:50 p.m. in the 10700 block of Sapphire Street.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a white Chevrolet pickup was going north near Tiger Eye Drive when it hit a pedestrian. The pickup left the scene after the collision.

The pedestrian, a 15-year-old boy, suffered suspected serious injuries in the crash, according to the report.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the El Paso County crash.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Late-night accidents tend to leave behind more questions than answers, especially when someone walks away from the scene instead of staying to help. It's hard to move forward when no one knows exactly what happened or why.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? In cases like this, where a young pedestrian is seriously hurt and the driver flees, it's crucial that investigators commit the time and tools needed to truly understand the sequence of events. That means more than just taking measurements at the scene. It calls for a full reconstruction of how the vehicle approached, where the pedestrian was walking and how fast the vehicle was traveling. Whether local officers had access to that level of expertise can make or break the effort to hold someone accountable. Without it, key details may never come to light.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? Even when a driver leaves the scene, it's possible that something in the vehicle went wrong: a brake failure, faulty headlights or even a defective sensor system. Those things won’t show up in a police report unless someone inspects the vehicle after it’s found. And if the vehicle isn't recovered quickly, valuable clues could vanish. That’s why it’s essential that the investigative team doesn’t assume this was only a matter of driver behavior.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? When a crash like this happens late at night, digital evidence becomes even more critical. Surveillance cameras on nearby homes, GPS data from the truck if it's located, and even cell phone activity can all help piece together what was happening in the moments leading up to the impact. If those data points aren't chased down early, they can disappear before anyone realizes their value.

As troubling as these situations are, what matters most is not stopping at the obvious explanation. When the effort is made to dig deeper — to gather, question and verify — that's when real accountability becomes possible.

Key Takeaways:

• It's unclear whether crash investigators reconstructed the scene or examined the vehicle's path.
• A mechanical issue, like failed brakes or faulty lighting, could have played a role but may be overlooked.
• No word yet on whether digital evidence, such as surveillance or GPS data, has been gathered.