Aransas Pass, TX — September 6, 2024, one person was injured in a motorcycle accident at about 7:35 p.m. in the 100 block of Bigelow Street.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2009 Harley-Davidson FLHP motorcycle was heading west when it hit a curb, throwing its rider and a passenger.

The passenger, a 34-year-old woman whose name has not been made public yet, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report.

The motorcyclist, a 60-year-old man, suffered minor injuries, the report states.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the San Patricio County crash.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

After any serious crash, there’s often more beneath the surface than what first responders can record in the moment. Especially in motorcycle wrecks, where even a single misstep or mechanical fault can have devastating consequences, a closer look is essential.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? The report gives a basic outline of what happened, but it's not clear whether crash investigators took any deeper steps beyond the initial scene review. Questions remain about whether they reconstructed the sequence of events, examined the rider’s behavior leading up to the crash or used tools like laser mapping to get an accurate picture of how and why the motorcycle hit the curb. Given that one person was seriously hurt, it’s reasonable to expect more than just surface-level observations.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? There’s no indication so far that the motorcycle itself was inspected for mechanical issues. With older bikes, especially, components like brakes, steering systems or tires can wear down in ways that aren’t obvious until they fail. Without a proper inspection, it’s impossible to say if a malfunction might have caused, or at least contributed to, the rider losing control.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? Most motorcycles don’t have as much built-in electronic tracking as modern cars, but some do have data modules or aftermarket GPS systems that could help show what the bike was doing before the crash. Even the rider’s and passenger’s phones might hold location data that fills in the timeline. Whether any of that was retrieved or reviewed isn’t known, but it certainly could make a difference in understanding what happened.

As with many crashes, the first story told may not be the full one. It takes asking the right questions, and getting the right experts involved, to uncover details that can be critical down the line.

Takeaways:

• We don't know if crash investigators went beyond the basics to fully understand how the wreck occurred.
• It's unclear whether the motorcycle was checked for brake or steering failures that could’ve played a role.
• There's no word on whether any GPS or phone data was used to confirm the bike's path or rider actions.