Arlington, TX — May 3, 2024, Jose Ortega Berbin was injured in a hit-and-run accident at about 2 a.m. in the 500 block of East Division Street.

A preliminary accident report indicates that an eastbound 2013 Honda Accord hit a pedestrian who was trying to cross the street and continued driving.

The pedestrian, 24-year-old Jose Alejandro Ortega Berbin of Mansfield, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report.

The Honda driver, who surrendered to police shortly after the accident, was charged with failing to stop and render aid, the report states.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

After any serious accident, especially one involving someone on foot, there's a strong urge to find closure fast. But moving quickly doesn’t always mean we’ve gotten to the bottom of what really happened. The facts we start with are often just the surface.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? When a pedestrian is seriously hurt in a late-night crash, investigators should dig far deeper than just locating the driver and filing charges. That includes mapping out the crash site, reconstructing the vehicle’s path, and checking surveillance footage or eyewitness accounts. It's worth asking whether investigators took the time to explore the driver’s actions in the moments before impact: was speed a factor? Was distraction involved? In some hit-and-run cases, the focus on finding the suspect can inadvertently overshadow these deeper questions. Hopefully, that didn’t happen here.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? Even when a driver is located and charged, there’s still a need to rule out whether the vehicle itself contributed. A stuck throttle, malfunctioning brakes or faulty sensors might not be visible from the outside but could still play a critical role. It’s not enough to assume driver fault and move on. Was the car inspected thoroughly after it was recovered? That step matters, especially when someone’s badly hurt and the moment of impact remains unclear.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? A 2013 Honda Accord likely holds valuable clues — speed data, braking patterns, even steering input — all stored in its onboard systems. Beyond that, traffic cameras or nearby business surveillance might have caught critical moments. If police downloaded the car’s data and compared it to the pedestrian’s movements, that could help paint a fuller picture of how and why things unfolded the way they did. These tools can’t be overlooked just because a suspect has come forward.

Digging deep after a serious pedestrian crash isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about uncovering everything that might have gone wrong. Relying only on surface details leaves too much up to guesswork, and in cases like this, guessing isn’t good enough.

Key Takeaways:

• A complete investigation should explore the driver’s actions well before the moment of impact.
• Mechanical inspections matter even when someone is arrested.
• Vehicle data and surveillance footage can reveal details that witnesses might miss.