Baytown, TX — September 29, 2025, a pedestrian was injured in a car accident at about 10 p.m. in the 8500 block of North Main Street.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2023 Lincoln Navigator was heading north when it hit a pedestrian near the intersection of East Wallisville Road.

The pedestrian, a 38-year-old man, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report. His name has not been made public yet.

The Lincoln driver was not injured, the report states.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When someone is seriously hurt in a crash, the public often assumes the facts are simple and clear. But experience shows that initial reports rarely tell the whole story. That’s why it's important to look beyond surface-level details and ask the right questions, especially when a pedestrian is involved.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? Too often, the focus lands squarely on the pedestrian’s presence in the road, without a thorough reconstruction of what led up to the collision. Was the vehicle's path fully mapped out? Did investigators review whether the driver was alert or distracted in the seconds leading up to the crash? These are not routine steps; they require training, time and the right tools. In many cases, patrol officers handling the initial response simply don’t have the crash reconstruction expertise needed to capture all the relevant details, especially at night, when visibility and lighting introduce new challenges.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? It’s easy to assume that the vehicle operated exactly as intended. But when a pedestrian is struck by a late-model SUV, it’s worth asking whether anything in the vehicle’s systems malfunctioned. Could a sensor designed to detect pedestrians have failed? Did the braking system respond properly? With complex electronics now standard in most vehicles, a proper inspection should always go beyond a basic walkaround. Without that, the possibility of a mechanical or software failure remains unanswered.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected? Modern vehicles like the Lincoln Navigator record an astonishing amount of data: how fast the driver was going, when they hit the brakes and even whether alerts were triggered before impact. Combined with any available traffic camera footage or GPS data, this information can paint a clear picture of what actually happened. But that picture only becomes available if someone takes the time to retrieve it. Unfortunately, that step is often skipped unless someone insists on it.

It’s not about second-guessing the people involved. It’s about making sure no critical piece of the puzzle is overlooked. When someone’s health and future are on the line, asking tougher questions is not just helpful. It’s necessary.

Key Takeaways:

• Police investigations often miss key crash details unless trained reconstruction experts are involved.
• Mechanical or sensor failures in modern vehicles need to be ruled out through inspection.
• Vehicle data and nearby camera footage can clarify what really happened, but only if collected early.