Ector County, TX — August 10, 2024, Josiah Blackmon and Kirk Key Ray Chitty were injured in a car accident at around 10:49 p.m. along West 42nd Street.

According to preliminary details about the accident, it happened just east of Loop 338.

It appears that 19-year-old Kirk Chitty, 18-year-old Josiah Blackmon, and another teen were in a Toyota 4Runner going westbound. At a curve in the road, the vehicle ran off the side of the road. It careened some distance before crashing into an 18-wheeler and overturning outside of a Stripes.

Due to the crash, both Chitty and Blackmon had serious injuries. The third occupant was reportedly uninjured. Right now, additional details about the cause of the crash are unavailable.

Commentary

There are inherent concerns following any crash involving a teen driver that people may be jumping to conclusions. Simply put, young, inexperienced drivers are more likely to get into accidents. That's just statistics. However, that's no reason to overlook complex and possibly unavoidable circumstances.

Regardless of age, there should be a reasonable measure of skepticism following any serious accident until investigations have been able to dig into all of the facts. That evidence may show that the driver made a mistake, or it may show there were factors the driver couldn't necessarily avoid. Ultimately, those involved in a serious accident deserve to know the accident got the attention it deserved. That can't happen if people simply write off a whole accident just because the driver was a teenager.