Hutchinson County, TX — June 2, 2025, Two people were killed and one was injured in a car accident around 4:26 P.M. on South Highway 136.

According to official reports, a GMC 2500 pickup truck operated by Chad Clift was driving northbound on South Highway 136 on wet road conditions and at unsafe speeds, when the truck lost control and hydroplaned. The GMC then veered into the southbound lane where it collided with a Ford Windstar minivan.

First responders arrived and found the Ford driver and passenger, Cody Brooks, and Jeremiah Rodriguez-White respectively, critically injured. They, along with Clift who also suffered injuries, were taken to the hospital. White and Brooks were pronounced deceased later at the hospital. More details may be released as the investigation continues.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a vehicle crosses into oncoming traffic, especially under wet conditions, it's tempting to accept weather and speed as the whole explanation. But real accountability often requires looking beyond those surface-level factors.

1. Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
A head-on collision involving multiple injuries and fatalities calls for a full-scale investigation. That includes reconstructing the vehicle paths, evaluating pre-impact behavior, and confirming whether speed was the only factor or if there were attempts at control. Officers must be equipped to analyze whether the driver was responding to the road or if other contributing factors were present. If the investigation skips past these steps, we’re left with a partial picture.

2. Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
Hydroplaning may point to speed, but it could also suggest problems with the tires or traction control systems. Worn treads, uneven wear, or malfunctioning stability features might have made it impossible for the driver to recover once the slide began. A full mechanical inspection of the GMC should be standard in cases like this, where a vehicle behaves unpredictably in poor conditions.

3. Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
The truck’s onboard systems could show if there were any braking efforts, steering corrections, or system faults in the seconds before impact. It could also confirm how fast the vehicle was actually going. Likewise, data from the Ford could help validate impact speed and position. Without gathering this data early, key evidence could be lost or overwritten, making later conclusions less reliable.

What’s written in a report doesn’t always reflect the full story. The deeper truth comes from asking the kinds of questions that don’t have easy answers—and insisting those questions get answered.

Plain-language takeaways:

• Serious crashes need full reconstruction to understand all contributing factors.
• Mechanical problems like bad tires or system failures might play a role in hydroplaning.
• Vehicle data can confirm driver actions and vehicle behavior before the crash.