Brewster County, TX — July 2, 2024, Trista Brown was injured due to a car accident shortly before 9:45 a.m. along U.S. Highway 90.

According to authorities, 20-year-old Trista Brown was traveling in a westbound Jeep Cherokee on U.S. 90 at the F.M. 1703 intersection when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, an eastbound GMC Yukon attempted to make a left turn onto F.M. 1703 at an apparently unsafe time, failing to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic. Though the Jeep attempted evasive action, a collision still occurred between the front-right quarter of the Yukon and the left side of the Jeep. The Jeep reportedly overturned over the course of the accident, coming to a stop resting on its roof.

Brown reportedly sustained serious injuries due to the wreck; she was transported to a local medical facility by EMS in order to receive necessary treatment. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a left-turning vehicle misjudges an oncoming car and causes a rollover, it’s often treated as a simple failure to yield. But when serious injuries are involved and one vehicle ends up on its roof, it’s fair to ask whether every part of the crash was examined—not just the obvious ones.

Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
A collision that causes a vehicle to overturn calls for a full-scale reconstruction. That includes analyzing the angle of impact, calculating vehicle speeds, and determining how much time the Yukon had to make its turn. Investigators should also look at whether the Jeep’s evasive action was enough to avoid the crash—or if the turn left the driver with no real options. If these factors weren’t examined closely, it’s possible that critical insights into how the crash unfolded were missed entirely.

Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
The Yukon’s sudden and unsafe turn could point to more than driver error. Issues like power steering malfunction, faulty sensors, or brake problems might cause hesitation or erratic turning. On the Jeep’s side, rollover dynamics can be affected by suspension failures or problems with electronic stability control. If neither vehicle was inspected after the crash, these potential mechanical contributors may never come to light.

Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
Modern SUVs like the Yukon and Jeep Cherokee typically contain black box-style data systems. Those systems can reveal speed, braking effort, steering angles, and more. That information can show whether the Jeep had time to react—or if the Yukon turned too late for any evasive action to make a difference. In rural areas like Brewster County, camera footage might be limited, but phone GPS data or dash cams could still hold valuable information. If investigators didn’t gather that data, the story might still be incomplete.

When a crash leaves someone injured and a vehicle flipped, the right questions aren’t just about who made a mistake—they’re about whether all the contributing factors were uncovered. That’s the only way to understand what really happened.

Takeaways:

• Rollover crashes during left-turn conflicts require full reconstruction to understand timing and impact angles.
• Steering, suspension, or sensor issues in either vehicle could have influenced the outcome.
• Vehicle data can clarify how quickly each driver responded and whether the collision was avoidable.