Collin County, TX — July 19, 2024, a woman was injured due to a pedestrian versus car accident just before 9:45 p.m. along McDonald Street.

According to authorities, a 44-year-old woman from McKinney was on foot in the center turn lane of McDonald Street in the vicinity south of the Standifer Street intersection when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, as a southbound Honda Civic merged into the turn lane in preparation of making a left turn, it apparently struck the woman. The pedestrian reportedly suffered serious injuries over the course of the accident. Additional details pertaining to this incident, including the identity of the victim, are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Crashes that occur in a turn lane often involve split-second decisions, and when a pedestrian is seriously hurt, the need for a complete and careful investigation becomes even more urgent. The question isn’t just what happened—it’s whether all the right steps were taken to understand how and why.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
When a pedestrian is struck in a center turn lane, that scenario calls for a very specific kind of reconstruction. Did investigators determine how long the woman had been in the lane and whether the driver of the Honda Civic had a clear view of her? Was the vehicle’s speed assessed, and were there signs of braking or swerving? These moments are often overlooked unless someone takes the time to map them out fully—and in nighttime collisions, assumptions can quickly take the place of facts.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
If the driver of the Civic didn’t respond in time, the question becomes whether the car performed as it should have. Was there a delay in braking response? Were the headlights functioning correctly to provide adequate visibility? Newer Civics may also have pedestrian detection systems—if those failed or didn’t engage, that’s a serious concern. Unless a mechanical inspection was done, there's no way to know if a defect played a role in the driver’s delayed reaction.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
Vehicle event data can reveal a great deal—speed at the time of impact, whether brakes were applied, and how long before the collision the driver attempted to react. That kind of information can confirm whether the crash was unavoidable or the result of inattention or a system failure. In areas with traffic cameras or nearby businesses, video footage might also help verify where the pedestrian was and how the Civic approached the scene.

When a pedestrian is hit in an unexpected place, it’s not enough to guess who was where. The only way to truly understand what went wrong is to check every detail—and not stop until the picture is complete.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Pedestrian collisions in turn lanes require precise reconstruction of timing, visibility, and driver response.
• Vehicle systems, including headlights and pedestrian detection, should be checked for possible malfunctions.
• Data from the vehicle and local camera footage can confirm speed, braking, and pedestrian position.