Potter County, TX — April 23, 2025, Jessica Hall was killed in a pedestrian versus truck accident at approximately 9:15 p.m. along Interstate Highway 40.
According to authorities, 36-year-old Jessica Hall was on foot on I.H. 40 in the vicinity west of Arnot Road when the accident took place.
The cause of the accident remains unclear. Officials indicate that, for reasons yet to be confirmed, Hall was struck by an eastbound Volvo 18-wheeler hauling a trailer. Hall reportedly suffered fatal injuries due to the collision and was declared deceased at the scene. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a pedestrian is struck and killed by an 18-wheeler on a major interstate at night, the most urgent legal question is not simply what was the pedestrian doing on the highway?—it’s what steps, if any, did the truck driver take to avoid the collision? Cases like this often involve layers of uncertainty, but what’s clear is that crashes involving pedestrians and commercial vehicles deserve much more scrutiny than they usually receive.
One key factor is visibility. At 9:15 p.m., it’s dark, and the highway is not a place where drivers expect to see pedestrians. But that doesn’t mean truck drivers are off the hook. Commercial drivers are expected to maintain a proper lookout and operate their vehicles at a safe speed for the conditions—even on wide-open interstates. That means being alert, watching for hazards, and reacting to them in time. If the driver was distracted, fatigued, or simply not scanning the road ahead, those failures can carry legal consequences.
It’s also critical to look at how fast the truck was going and whether it was traveling in the right-most lane—something that matters a great deal in pedestrian strikes, especially when people are walking along or trying to cross the roadway. Was the truck changing lanes or veering toward the shoulder? Did the driver use high beams where appropriate to maximize visibility? These may sound like small details, but they are exactly the kind of things that determine whether the crash was avoidable.
And if this truck was part of a commercial operation—as most 18-wheelers are—then the responsibility doesn’t end with the driver. Was the driver properly rested and fit to be behind the wheel? Did the company monitor their hours or screen for safe driving history? Was the truck’s lighting and safety equipment in working order? I’ve seen companies cut corners on maintenance and driver oversight, only for those shortcuts to show up in tragic and avoidable ways.
Getting to the bottom of a crash like this means asking the right questions and refusing to stop at surface-level explanations. Serious wrecks deserve serious investigation, not assumptions. Understanding what the driver saw, how they responded, and whether the company behind the truck met its obligations is crucial to figuring out what might have happened. Getting clear answers to these questions is the least that can be done to help those affected find the clarity and closure they deserve.
