Harris County, TX — August 10, 2024, Stephen Parten lost his life due to a car accident at approximately 2:00 p.m. along the I-45 service road.

According to authorities, Stephen Parten was traveling in a southbound Pontiac Grand Prix on the Interstate Highway 45 service road at the intersection with the Grand Parkway westbound frontage road when the accident took place.

The intersection is controlled by a traffic signal. Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a westbound Toyota Scion that had been traveling on the Grand Parkway service road failed to stop for a red light at the intersection. A collision consequently occurred between the Scion and the Grand Prix.

Parten reportedly sustained critical injuries over the course of the accident; he was transported to a local medical facility by EMS in order to receive immediate treatment. However, he was ultimately unable to overcome the severity of his injuries, having there been declared deceased. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Crashes at signal-controlled intersections should be among the most preventable. When someone runs a red light and another person loses their life, it’s not just a question of fault—it’s a matter of whether the aftermath was handled with the seriousness it demands.

1. Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
A fatal collision in an intersection with traffic signals raises the question of whether investigators confirmed the light’s status using more than just assumptions. Did they document the signal phase timing or secure footage from nearby traffic cameras? Did they determine how fast the vehicles were going, or whether either driver took evasive action? Without a full reconstruction, it’s hard to know whether this was a case of distraction, misjudgment, or something else entirely.

2. Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
When a driver reportedly fails to stop at a red light, it’s easy to conclude the cause was human error. But mechanical failures—like brake system faults or electronic sensor errors—can produce similar outcomes. If the Toyota Scion had issues with its braking system or even a glitch in its onboard warning systems, that should have been documented early. At this point, the opportunity to inspect the vehicle may have passed.

3. Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
Vehicle data recorders can reveal critical insights—whether the Scion attempted to brake, how fast it was going, and how the Grand Prix responded. These black-box-style recordings often tell a clearer story than memory ever could. If investigators also accessed nearby surveillance footage or synchronized phone data, they might have had a fuller view of what really happened. But if those steps weren’t taken quickly, the evidence may no longer exist.

It's one thing for a crash to happen. It’s another when there’s no clear effort to understand how or why. When lives are lost at busy intersections, getting to the truth isn’t optional—it’s the bare minimum.

Takeaways:

• Investigators should have confirmed the red-light violation using data, not just assumptions.
• A thorough review should have ruled out mechanical failure or brake issues in the striking vehicle.
• Vehicle telemetry and traffic camera footage could have been crucial to clarifying what happened.