Jim Wells County, TX — March 3, 2025, Kevin Lugo was injured in a car accident at about 1:20 a.m. on U.S. Route 281 west of Kingsville.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2017 Dodge Challenger was heading north when it drifted out of its lane at hit the guardrail on the left side of the highway. It also collided with a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2010 Ford Explorer.

Ford driver Kevin Lugo, 26, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report. The Chevrolet driver, a 28-year-old man, suffered minor injuries.

The Dodge driver, who was listed as being possibly injured, was cited for failing to drive in a single lane, the report states.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Jim Wells County crash.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people are seriously hurt in a nighttime crash, questions tend to outlast the sirens. It's not just about who got a ticket or what’s in the report; it's about figuring out why things happened the way they did. That starts with asking the right questions, especially in a wreck involving multiple vehicles on a major highway.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? The report mentions a citation for failing to maintain a lane, which suggests some basic conclusions were drawn at the scene. But it's not clear whether officers took additional steps, like conducting a full crash reconstruction or checking whether the Dodge's path was influenced by something more than driver error. Given the late hour and multi-vehicle nature of the wreck, those details matter. Not every agency has the same resources or training to dive deep into night-time crash dynamics, and that can leave gaps in the official record.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? It’s easy to pin a drifting vehicle on simple inattention, but without examining the Dodge Challenger for mechanical issues — such as a steering malfunction, braking irregularity or even sensor misreads — there’s no way to be sure. Newer vehicles especially rely heavily on computerized systems, and a defect could present as driver error if nobody thinks to look under the hood or into the electronics.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? There’s no word yet on whether investigators reviewed any crash data from the vehicles involved. Most modern cars store critical information about speed, braking and steering input in the moments before a crash. That data, along with possible dashcam footage or GPS logs, could help show whether the Challenger's drift was sudden or gradual, voluntary or forced. It could also clarify how the other drivers reacted and whether their responses made things worse or helped avoid greater harm.

When a crash sends someone to the hospital, it's worth doing more than the minimum. Careful attention to overlooked factors, both human and mechanical, can shift the entire understanding of what really happened on that dark stretch of road.

Key Takeaways:

• A basic traffic citation doesn’t always tell the whole story after a serious crash.
• Mechanical defects or system failures need to be ruled out with real inspection, not assumptions.
• Modern cars hold electronic data that can provide a clearer picture than eyewitness reports alone.