Sugar Land, TX — March 17, 2025, Shanila Imran was killed in a hit-and-run accident at about 10:45 p.m. on State Highway 6 near U.S. Route 90 Alternate.

Authorities said a woman was hit by a 2019 Lexus RX 350 while she was inspecting the damage to her vehicle from an earlier car accident. The driver did not stop after the collision.

The woman, 56-year-old Shanila Razzak Imran, died at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

The Lexus driver was arrested on March 18 for failure to stop and render aid after a collision involving death, authorities said.

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

Commentary

When I read about a crash like this, my first thought is that I hope the family of the woman who was killed receives the full scope of answers they need. A fatal hit-and-run is always alarming, but when it involves someone outside their vehicle following a prior collision, it underscores how vulnerable people are on the roadside, especially at night. While the arrest of the driver may bring some measure of accountability, there are still critical questions that must be asked to fully understand what happened on State Highway 6.

First, did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? In incidents like this, where someone is struck while attending to an earlier accident, it’s essential to establish the exact conditions surrounding the second impact. Was the area well-lit? Was the vehicle pulled off the road safely and out of the flow of traffic? Were hazard lights on or other warning signals in place to alert oncoming drivers? Investigators should also determine the speed and lane position of the striking vehicle. Only a detailed reconstruction can clarify whether the collision was truly unavoidable or the result of inattention or poor judgment.

Second, has anyone considered whether a vehicle defect might have contributed to the crash? The 2019 Lexus RX 350 involved in the incident should be thoroughly inspected. Were the headlights functioning properly? Was there a failure in any of the vehicle's safety systems, such as collision detection or lane-departure alerts? Even in cases involving criminal charges, identifying whether a mechanical or electronic failure contributed to a driver's inability to avoid the crash is essential, particularly when visibility is limited and driver-assist technologies are supposed to help mitigate such risks.

Finally, has all the electronic data related to the crash been collected? The Lexus RX 350 is equipped with an engine control module and likely other onboard systems that record data such as speed, braking, throttle input and steering movement in the seconds before the crash. That information can be instrumental in determining how the driver was operating the vehicle and whether any evasive action was attempted. Nearby traffic or security cameras, or even dashcams from other drivers involved in the initial crash, may also provide valuable visual evidence. As always, this data is time-sensitive and must be preserved quickly.

This crash calls for a thorough, fact-driven investigation. A woman lost her life while trying to manage the aftermath of an earlier crash, an act that no one expects to result in fatal harm. While charges may address the failure to stop, they don’t fully explain why the crash happened or whether it could have been prevented. By asking the right questions and preserving both physical and digital evidence, we give her family — and the public — a more complete understanding of what occurred, and why.