Dallas, TX — August 11, 2025, Veda Martin was injured in a car accident at about 1:55 a.m. on southbound Interstate 35E.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2016 Mercedes-Benz C collided with a concrete traffic barrier near West Illinois Avenue. A 2006 Mercury Milan was damaged as well.

Mercedes driver Veda Martin, 57, was seriously injured in the crash, according to authorities.

The report shows the Mercury driver was unknown.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Dallas County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When crashes happen in the early hours of the morning, the aftermath can raise more questions than answers. Serious injuries deserve serious scrutiny, but too often, what’s left on the cutting room floor of a rushed investigation could have made all the difference.

Did authorities go beyond a surface-level investigation? The time of the crash, just before 2 a.m., could suggest fatigue, distraction or other impairments, but did investigators dig into those possibilities? Was there a full reconstruction of the scene using tools like laser mapping or crash modeling software? Was there any attempt to review the driver’s condition or activities leading up to the crash? The involvement of a second vehicle, whose driver remains unknown, raises more flags: did investigators trace ownership, run surveillance footage or try to determine how that vehicle factored into the collision? When key players or sequences aren’t clearly established, it’s often because the investigative effort didn’t go far enough.

Was a vehicle defect explored seriously? A 2016 Mercedes striking a fixed object like a concrete barrier isn’t something to dismiss as driver error without first asking: did everything on the car function the way it should? A stuck throttle, brake failure or electronic issue — especially in a vehicle with advanced systems — can cause sudden, unpreventable collisions. Was the Mercedes inspected for defects in steering, braking or traction control systems? Was the impact angle consistent with a loss of control that wasn’t the driver’s fault? Unless a mechanic with crash-specific expertise inspected the vehicle, it’s hard to rule those possibilities out.

Was all the electronic data collected and reviewed? Modern vehicles like a Mercedes-Benz C-Class are equipped with systems that store valuable pre-crash data: speed, braking, steering and even seatbelt use. If those weren’t downloaded and reviewed, much of what happened in the moments before the crash remains guesswork. The Mercury Milan, despite being older, may still hold clues through damage patterns or nearby cameras. And if either driver had a phone or GPS device active, that data could help show movement, distractions or sudden changes that paint a clearer picture. It's unclear if investigators pursued any of this, but that silence is its own kind of answer.

When major injuries happen, clarity shouldn’t be a luxury. Every question left unanswered is a step further from the truth, and possibly from justice. Without full analysis, accountability often gets replaced by assumptions.

Key takeaways:

• Investigators should map and reconstruct complex crashes, especially those with unknown factors.
• Even high-end vehicles can fail; mechanical inspections must explore that possibility.
• Black box and GPS data are often the clearest window into a crash, if anyone bothers to look.