Harris County, TX — November 1, 2025, a teenager lost his life due to a pedestrian versus car accident just before 12:45 a.m. along U.S. Highway 90.

According to authorities, a 17-year-old boy was on foot along the U.S. 90 frontage road southwest of Crosby Lynchburg Road when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for reasons yet to be confirmed, the teen was struck by a southwest bound Jeep Grand Cherokee. The teen reportedly suffered fatal injuries due to the collision.

Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a teenager is struck and killed while walking near a highway late at night, it's not enough to focus only on where they were. The real question is whether investigators took all the necessary steps to understand how the crash happened—and whether it could have been prevented.

1. Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
In a fatal pedestrian crash, especially one occurring just after midnight, investigators should thoroughly examine the full scene. Was the exact location of the impact determined and documented? Did they reconstruct how far the Jeep was from the pedestrian when first visible? Was there any attempt to verify sightlines, vehicle position, and driver reaction time? Without these steps, conclusions about fault or preventability may rely more on assumption than fact.

2. Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
Striking a pedestrian at night might seem like an issue of visibility or awareness, but vehicle performance must also be considered. Were the Jeep’s headlights functioning properly? Could there have been a brake delay or steering problem that limited the driver’s ability to avoid the collision? Modern vehicles are equipped with pedestrian detection systems—was that system present, and did it work as intended? These questions are essential and require a full inspection of the vehicle.

3. Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
The Jeep likely carried an event data recorder capable of logging speed, braking, and steering input in the seconds before impact. Did investigators retrieve that data? Were any nearby surveillance cameras or traffic infrastructure systems in place to confirm the timeline or location of the crash? In fatal pedestrian collisions, especially where the victim cannot speak for themselves, electronic and video evidence is often the most reliable source of truth.

When a young life is lost in a roadside crash, the investigation must go deeper than basic impact reporting. It must ask harder questions—about visibility, driver response, vehicle performance, and scene conditions—if it hopes to produce real answers.

Takeaways:

• Fatal pedestrian crashes require detailed scene reconstruction to verify timing and visibility.
• Vehicle defects—including headlight failure or malfunctioning detection systems—must be ruled out.
• Data from onboard systems and nearby surveillance may be the only way to confirm what happened.