A driver told San Antonio police he was looking down at his phone moments before rear-ending the car in front of him on Loop 1604, setting off a three-vehicle crash that left him trapped and requiring extraction by firefighters. The wreck happened around 9 p.m. Thursday in the 7401–7899 block of West Loop 1604 near Culebra Road, sending him to a local hospital.
According to KENS 5, the driver struck the vehicle ahead of him before also hitting a third car, and he needed to be physically freed from his vehicle before paramedics took him to the hospital. The San Antonio Fire Department is investigating the crash, and police say distracted driving was involved.
The admission points investigators toward Texas's texting-while-driving law. Under Texas Transportation Code § 545.4251, enacted through House Bill 62 in 2017, reading, writing, or sending electronic messages while operating a moving vehicle is a statewide offense, according to FindLaw. First-time offenders face fines between $25 and $99, while repeat offenses can bring $100 to $200 in fines.
Penalties Could Escalate If Injuries Are Serious
If a distracted driving crash in Texas results in serious bodily injury or death, the violation is elevated to a Class A misdemeanor, carrying penalties of up to a $4,000 fine and as much as a year in county jail, per The Herrera Law Firm. It remains unclear whether the hospitalized driver's injuries will be classified as serious enough to trigger that heightened charge, and whether formal criminal charges will ultimately be filed has not been determined.
San Antonio's own rules go further than the state's texting ban. The city enforces a municipal ordinance establishing a total hands-free requirement, prohibiting drivers from holding a mobile device for any purpose — including voice calls or map navigation — while behind the wheel, the same firm notes. That means simply holding a phone, even without typing a message, can constitute a violation within city limits.
A County Grappling With Distracted Driving
The Culebra Road crash adds to a grim tally. Bexar County recorded 48,522 total motor vehicle crashes in 2024, resulting in 215 fatalities, 773 serious injuries, and 7,023 minor injuries, with distracted driving cited as a primary contributing factor across local roadways, according to J.A. Davis & Associates. Statewide, the problem is just as stark: distracted driving was involved in nearly one out of every five traffic collisions across Texas in 2024, causing 373 deaths and 2,587 serious injuries, ranking it as the state's second-leading crash cause behind speeding, per AK Law Firm.
Loop 1604 in particular carries a troubling history. A San Antonio Express-News analysis of TxDOT crash data found 36 fatal crashes resulting in 74 deaths along the corridor between 2017 and 2022, as Hoodline previously reported. Thursday's crash also fits into a broader cluster of severe wrecks along the loop in early September, including a fatal fiery collision between an SUV and a cement truck near NW Military Highway on September 2, according to The Wooley Law Firm.
What Happens Next
Under Texas Transportation Code § 550.062, investigating officers must submit a formal written crash report, known as Form CR-3, to the Texas Department of Transportation within 10 days of any crash resulting in personal injury or death. That filing will provide official confirmation of citations and crash mechanics once it becomes public record.
State enforcement of distracted driving has been intensifying. During the Texas Department of Public Safety's annual Operation CARE campaign in 2025, state troopers issued 79,201 citations and warnings to drivers across Texas highways, the agency reported. Whether road conditions or construction played any role in Thursday's chain-reaction crash has not been addressed by investigators, and the driver's current medical condition has not been disclosed.
