San Antonio. TX — July 15, 2025, One person was killed following a car accident that occurred at around 6:30 A.M. on West Loop 820.

According to reports, a Toyota 4Runner occupied by Michael Cassias was traveling north on West Loop 820 near Marbach Road, when for unknown reasons the vehicle lost control and struck a concrete pillar before catching fire, trapping Cassias inside.

First responders arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire, where they then found Cassias fatally injured and pronounced him deceased. No other vehicle were involve din the crash and officials have not provided an update on the status of the investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a vehicle crashes alone, strikes a concrete pillar, and catches fire—especially with someone trapped inside—it raises urgent questions that can’t be answered with assumptions. The fact that no other vehicles were involved only increases the need for a careful and thorough investigation.

1. Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
A crash of this severity, involving high-speed impact and post-collision fire, calls for a detailed reconstruction of events. Investigators should have mapped the vehicle’s path, looked for tire or skid marks, and evaluated whether any steering or braking input occurred in the moments before impact. The precise point where control was lost—and whether the driver made any attempt to regain it—matters deeply. If this kind of scene work wasn’t done right away, critical evidence could have been lost.

2. Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
When a vehicle veers off the highway for no apparent reason and catches fire, mechanical failure must be considered. A steering malfunction, sudden brake loss, or even an issue with the 4Runner’s suspension could cause the kind of sudden loss of control that led to this crash. The fire also raises concerns about the fuel system or electrical components. These types of failures may not leave visible clues once a vehicle is burned, so a prompt and expert inspection is essential to identify—or rule out—any contributing defects.

3. Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
The 4Runner likely stored critical pre-crash data—vehicle speed, throttle position, steering input, and brake usage. This data can help determine whether the vehicle responded to the driver’s actions or if a system failed in those final seconds. GPS and phone activity could also help establish a timeline or reveal signs of distraction. If this information wasn’t preserved early, a key opportunity to understand what happened may already be gone.

When someone loses their life in a single-vehicle crash followed by a fire, the goal isn’t just to label the incident—it’s to understand every factor that contributed to it. That’s the only way to know what went wrong, and whether it could happen again.

Takeaways:

• Crashes involving fire and entrapment require full scene reconstruction and pre-impact analysis.
• Mechanical or fuel system failures must be carefully investigated for possible contributions.
• Vehicle data can offer the clearest picture of driver input and vehicle performance before the crash.