Travis County, TX — December 11, 2025, Leonard Farias Jr. was injured in a single-car accident at approximately 2:30 a.m. along U.S. Highway 290.

According to authorities, 34-year-old Leonard Farias Jr. was traveling in a westbound Nissan Maxima on U.S. 290 in the vicinity west of I-35 when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for reasons yet to be confirmed, the Maxima was involved in a single-vehicle collision in which it apparently struck a median barrier.

Farias reportedly sustained serious injuries over the course of the accident. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When someone is seriously hurt in a single-vehicle crash during the early morning hours, it’s easy to assume the driver simply lost control. But assumptions like that can be dangerous—especially when key questions go unanswered. If the goal is to understand what really happened, a much closer look is required.

1. Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
Running into a median barrier at 2:30 in the morning could point to distraction, fatigue, or evasive action—but unless investigators closely examined skid marks, steering angles, and vehicle damage, there’s no way to know for sure. A proper investigation would also look at whether road conditions or surface changes played a role, though any discussion of infrastructure is outside the focus here. The real concern is whether the crash was reconstructed well enough to explain the vehicle’s final movements.

2. Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
A mechanical issue—such as power steering failure, locked brakes, or a suspension malfunction—could easily cause a sudden lane deviation or prevent a driver from correcting course. Even something as basic as a worn-out tire can cause a vehicle to pull into a barrier. Unless the Maxima was carefully inspected after the crash, it’s impossible to rule out that the car itself may have contributed to the wreck.

3. Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
Modern vehicles like the Nissan Maxima typically carry onboard event data recorders that capture key performance metrics: speed, braking, steering, and throttle input. This information can offer a second-by-second account of what happened in the moments before impact. Investigators should also check for potential dashcam footage or phone usage data, particularly given the time of night when distraction or drowsiness are more common.

Every single-car crash leaves behind more than just debris. If those in charge don’t dig into what the vehicle, the driver, and the surrounding data are trying to show, the real cause might stay buried.

Takeaways:

• Serious late-night crashes deserve full scene analysis to rule out more than just driver error.
• Mechanical failures—steering, brakes, or tires—can play a hidden role in single-car impacts.
• Vehicle data and digital records may clarify whether this was a controllable situation or not.