Being a victim means they were involved.

No it doesn't. They had no necessary part in causing this accident. They weren't involved in an accident, they were victims of Vehicular Assault, due to a reckless driver. This distinction is not only important legally, but also journalistically, as it takes blame away from the people responsible.

lets say i punched you. Even if i agreed with your pedantic point that this is a 'technically correct' use of the term 'involved'. Would it be a remotely accurate to say "Your face became involved with a fist" im pretty sure the person at the other end of the arm is the more relevant actor.

One definition of “involved” is “actively participating in something,” and when the context is a car crash, that’s probably the meaning most people would assume is at play. Thus the word choice is indeed poor and misleading given that they were not “actively participating” in what occurred.

Lmfao nice try