Update (February 10, 2026): Authorities have identified the woman killed in this accident as 70-year-old Pflugerville resident Mary Peebles.

Pflugerville, TX — January 12, 2026, one person was killed and another person was injured in car accident at about 11 a.m. in the 1400 block of F.M. 685/Desau Road.

Authorities said two vehicles collided at the intersection with East Pfennig Lane.

One driver, a woman whose name has not been made public yet, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

The other driver was taken to a Round Rock hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Travis County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

In the aftermath of any serious crash, especially those that result in a loss of life, there's an understandable urge to move quickly: to clear the scene, resume traffic flow and shift attention elsewhere. But when someone loses their life on a Texas road, that moment demands careful reflection and an insistence on accountability. It's not just about what happened, but how deeply we’re willing to look for why it happened.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? At any busy intersection, a two-vehicle collision can raise a host of questions; some obvious, others less so. The challenge for investigators is to avoid settling for the surface-level explanation. Was a full-scale reconstruction performed? Did they examine the sequence of vehicle movements through the intersection? These are basic, but essential, steps. Unfortunately, not all crash scenes receive that level of scrutiny. A lack of visible skid marks or the absence of witnesses shouldn't end the inquiry. It should push it further. Whether that happened here is an open question, but one that needs answering.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? Crashes at intersections often get chalked up to driver error, but it's worth asking if both vehicles were working properly. Could a brake failure have delayed a stop? Was there a steering issue that made avoiding the collision impossible? Many mechanical faults leave no obvious trace, which is why a thorough inspection is crucial. If no one took the time to examine both vehicles before they were removed or scrapped, any mechanical failure could go unnoticed, and unaddressed.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? Modern vehicles can speak volumes, if someone listens. Data from onboard computers could confirm how fast each car was going, whether brakes were applied or if the driver was distracted. Coupled with possible footage from nearby traffic cameras or businesses, this information could bring clarity that witness statements alone can’t provide. The key question is whether investigators took steps to gather it before that trail went cold.

When serious crashes are treated like routine paperwork instead of complex events deserving of deep scrutiny, key facts can slip away. Those facts may not change the outcome, but they matter: for safety and for justice.

Key Takeaways:

• It's not clear whether investigators conducted a full-scale crash reconstruction.
• Mechanical issues in either vehicle could have contributed, but that requires proper inspection.
• Electronic data from vehicles and surrounding sources might shed light, if anyone secured it.