Longview, TX — July 14, 2025, a man was injured due to a single-car accident at approximately 4:30 a.m. along Interstate Highway 20.

According to authorities, a 56-year-old man was traveling in a westbound Toyota Highlander on I-20 in the vicinity east of Old Kilgore Highway when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for reasons yet to be confirmed, the Highlander failed to safely maintain its lane of travel. It was consequently involved in a single-vehicle collision in which it apparently struck a tree.

The man reportedly sustained 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

When a vehicle leaves the highway and strikes a tree at 4:30 in the morning, people often assume the driver was drowsy or distracted. But serious crashes like this don’t always come down to human error. The key question is whether the vehicle behaved the way it was supposed to in the moments before the impact.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
Running off the road and into a tree isn’t something that just happens—it’s the result of a sequence of events that should be reconstructed in detail. Was there any evidence of braking, swerving, or overcorrection? Did investigators evaluate the possibility of sudden steering input or unexpected loss of control? If those questions weren’t addressed through a full scene analysis, the cause of the crash might remain undetermined.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
The Toyota Highlander is equipped with advanced stability and steering systems that are supposed to help prevent exactly this kind of crash. But if something in the suspension, tires, or electronic controls failed—especially at highway speeds—the result could be a sudden drift or loss of control. A steering issue or a malfunctioning stability control system can’t be ruled out without a thorough inspection of the vehicle’s mechanical and electronic components.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
Like many modern vehicles, the Highlander likely stores pre-crash data including speed, brake use, throttle input, steering angle, and even whether stability or lane-keeping systems were active. That data can help determine whether the driver took corrective action—or if the vehicle failed to respond. GPS logs or mobile phone activity might also offer insight into what was happening just before the crash. But this data is fragile and can be lost if not retrieved promptly.

A crash like this is more than just a car leaving the road—it’s a moment where something went wrong, and understanding that moment depends on how deep the investigation goes.

Takeaways:

• Crashes involving road departures should be fully reconstructed to analyze driver input and vehicle response.
• Mechanical or system failures—especially in steering, suspension, or stability controls—must be carefully inspected.
• Vehicle data can confirm whether the driver attempted to avoid the crash—or if the vehicle didn’t respond properly.