Vidor, TX — September 26, 2025, James King was injured in a car accident at about 4:10 a.m. on access road for eastbound Interstate 10.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2025 Kia K5 collided with a 2023 Chevrolet 3500 near North Main Street.

Kia driver James King, 31, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report.

The other driver was not hurt, the report states.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Serious crashes in the early morning hours often leave more questions than answers. Without clear daylight or abundant witnesses, it becomes even more important to dig beyond surface-level facts. When someone ends up seriously hurt, what matters most is whether the cause of the crash is truly understood, or merely assumed.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? At that hour, with minimal traffic and few onlookers, investigators should have had time and space to carefully map the scene. But the real question is whether they took full advantage of that. Did they measure distances, reconstruct how the vehicles moved or review potential driver fatigue or distraction prior to impact? Sometimes, it comes down to whether the responding officer had the tools and training to handle a complex crash, especially one involving serious injury. It's not uncommon for early reports to rely on the obvious instead of the accurate.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? With a relatively new model Kia involved, it's worth asking whether the car's systems operated as expected. A malfunctioning brake system, faulty steering component or sudden loss of engine control can send even a cautious driver into danger. Unless someone inspects that vehicle from top to bottom, the assumption will be human error. And if no warning lights were visible after the crash, it’s easy to miss signs of a defect unless someone is actively looking for them.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? Modern vehicles, especially recent models, record a surprising amount of crash-related information. Things like whether the driver hit the brakes, how fast they were going and whether safety features activated should be available. Was that data pulled? Did investigators check phone activity or surveillance footage from nearby businesses along the access road? Without those digital breadcrumbs, the picture of what really happened remains incomplete.

As with many early morning collisions, there’s a risk that the narrative gets locked in too quickly. When serious injuries are involved, the only responsible path is a deeper look, one that doesn't settle for the surface.

Key Takeaways:

• Just because a crash happened in the dark doesn't mean it should be left in the dark.
• Mechanical issues aren’t always visible; someone has to ask the hard questions to find them.
• Vehicle data doesn’t lie, but only if someone takes the time to retrieve it.