Smith County, TX — July 4, 2024, Joal Devendorf was injured in a car accident at about 12:40 p.m. on F.M. 346 south of Tyler.

A preliminary accident report indicates that am eastbound 2019 Jeep Wrangler was slowing down to make a left turn when it was clipped from behind by a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 that was trying to pass it. The impact caused the pickup to overturn into the ditch.

Jeep driver Joal Devendorf, 52 was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report, while the woman riding with him was not hurt.

The Dodge driver, who suffered minor injuries, was cited for disregarding a no passing zone sign, the report states.

The report does not include any additional information about the Smith County crash.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a serious crash happens, the first question is always why. Not in a general sense, but specifically what actions or failures led to this outcome? Getting answers requires more than a surface-level review. It takes deliberate effort to pull apart all the possible factors that shaped the final moments before impact.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? Citations may offer a clue about what law enforcement believes happened, but that doesn’t always mean the entire crash was fully examined. In this case, it’s unclear whether investigators took steps beyond issuing a ticket. Was the scene laser-mapped to preserve precise vehicle positions? Did they reconstruct the speeds and paths of both vehicles or look into how far the Dodge had traveled in the oncoming lane before impact? These kinds of questions matter, especially when someone walks away with minor injuries while someone else is left seriously hurt. The quality of the investigation can depend heavily on which agency responded and how much time they devoted to understanding what really happened.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? It's easy to point to a driver passing improperly, but we still have to ask: was that the whole story? Could a mechanical issue have played a role, especially in the pickup that flipped? Tire blowouts, steering faults or even brake imbalances could explain a sudden or unstable maneuver. If no one checked the Dodge for defects after it rolled into a ditch, there's a chance something important got missed. Especially in high-force crashes, what seems like driver error may actually trace back to a failure in the vehicle itself.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? Modern vehicles often know more about what happened than any human witness. Did the Dodge’s onboard systems record speed, throttle input or braking patterns in the seconds leading up to the collision? What about GPS data or camera footage from traffic systems nearby? Reviewing this digital evidence can reveal whether the driver tried to slow down or if distraction was involved. If those tools weren’t used, a big piece of the puzzle might still be missing.

When someone suffers serious harm in a crash, assumptions aren’t good enough. The job isn’t done until every question is asked, and every answer has been checked against the evidence.

Key Takeaways:

• A citation alone doesn’t confirm a thorough investigation happened.
• Mechanical issues should always be ruled out, especially when a vehicle rolls.
• Vehicle data can uncover what really happened before a crash.