Hempstead, TX — December 8, 2024, Sasha Barrientos and her 9-year-old daughter were killed and her 8-year-old daughter was injured in a car accident at about 8:55 p.m. on State Highway 6.

A preliminary accident report indicates a 2016 Kia Soul was headed south near U.S. Route 290 when it crashed into an overpass support and a solar-powered road sign.

Driver Sasha Barrientos, 26, and her 9-year-old daughter died in the crash, according to the report, while her 8-year-old daughter suffered serious injuries.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a crash claims the lives of a mother and child and leaves another seriously injured, it’s not enough to accept the initial details at face value. A single-vehicle collision with a fixed object demands a deeper examination. As with every serious or fatal crash, we must begin by asking three fundamental questions: Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? Has anyone considered whether a vehicle defect played a role? And has all the relevant electronic data from the crash been collected and preserved?

First, a thorough investigation is critical in a case like this. A complete scene analysis, including road conditions, lighting and sight distances, is essential to understanding how and why the crash occurred. Unfortunately, in single-vehicle crashes, especially those without surviving adult witnesses, those questions often go unasked unless someone advocates for a full reconstruction.

Second, the possibility of a vehicle defect must be seriously considered. The 2016 Kia Soul is relatively modern, but no vehicle is immune to mechanical failure. Steering issues, braking system malfunctions or problems with electronic stability control could cause a driver to lose control suddenly, particularly at highway speeds. If a tire failed, the vehicle veered unexpectedly, or a system malfunctioned, those are factors that could change how we understand the crash. These defects are only detectable through a detailed forensic inspection, which can’t happen if the vehicle is disposed of or repaired too soon.

Finally, electronic data could provide crucial insight into what happened in the seconds before the collision. The Kia Soul is likely equipped with an engine control module that records speed, throttle input, braking force and steering angle leading up to a crash. That data can help confirm whether the vehicle was behaving normally, if the driver took evasive action, or if the systems failed to respond as expected. Combined with other sources of digital evidence — such as traffic camera footage, dashcam video or GPS data — this information can help piece together an objective, data-driven timeline of events.

A crash that leaves a family devastated deserves more than a simple explanation. The community, and the surviving loved ones. need a clear, evidence-based understanding of what went wrong. That means going beyond assumptions and ensuring a full investigation that accounts for road design, vehicle performance and electronic evidence. Only by asking the right questions and preserving the right data can we begin to learn from a crash like this and work toward preventing similar tragedies in the future.