1 Killed in 18-Wheeler Accident on I-35W in Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth, TX — March 31, 2025, One person was killed following an 18-wheeler accident that occurred at around 10:40 P.M. on I-35W.

An investigation is underway into an 18-wheeler accident that left one person dead during the evening hours of March 31st. According to official reports, an 18-wheeler was traveling on I-35W when a male pedestrian attempted to cross the highway and was struck by the semi.

When first responders arrived on the scene, they found that the man had sustained fatal injuries and he was pronounced deceased. At this time there has been no further information released about the accident, including the identity of the pedestrian, however this remains an ongoing investigation and more details may be released in the future.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a pedestrian is struck by an 18-wheeler on a highway, many people may assume there’s nothing more to look into. After all, highways aren’t designed for foot traffic, and drivers don’t expect to see someone crossing lanes of high-speed traffic. But in cases like this, there are still important legal questions that deserve attention—questions that can’t be answered by assumptions alone.

For starters, it’s essential to understand the timing and circumstances around the impact. Was the truck driver able to see the pedestrian in time to react? Were they alert and driving at a safe speed? These questions can only be answered by reviewing evidence like dash camera footage, eyewitness accounts, and data from the truck’s Electronic Control Module (ECM). That ECM data can show whether the driver braked, accelerated, or maintained speed in the seconds before the crash—information that helps establish how much time the driver had to respond.

That said, the presence of a pedestrian on a limited-access highway raises serious questions in itself. What led the person to be in that location? Were there nearby vehicle breakdowns, construction zones, or other circumstances that might have made crossing the highway seem like the only option? While it may not shift legal responsibility, understanding those factors provides a fuller picture of what happened.

It’s also worth noting that commercial drivers are held to a higher standard when it comes to awareness and defensive driving. That doesn’t mean every crash involving a pedestrian is the driver’s fault, but it does mean their training and response should be scrutinized. If a driver was distracted, fatigued, or failed to respond appropriately, those issues can carry legal consequences.

Investigations like this need to go beyond the surface. It’s not enough to say that someone was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A proper investigation should consider all contributing factors—driver behavior, vehicle data, and the broader environment—to determine exactly what happened and whether anything could or should have been done differently. That’s the only way to ensure the facts are fully understood and the right people are held accountable, if accountability is due.