A Semmes man was killed Tuesday night after entering the roadway on U.S. 98 west of Mobile and being struck by a passing vehicle, according to Alabama State Troopers.
The crash happened at approximately 7:30 p.m. along U.S. 98, roughly six miles west of Mobile, when the 46-year-old man stepped into the path of a pickup truck. Troopers said the vehicle involved was a 1998 Toyota Tacoma. The man died at the scene as a result of his injuries.
Trooper investigators with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Highway Patrol Division responded to the crash and said the case remained under investigation in the days that followed. Officials have not released additional details about why the man entered the roadway or whether any charges are anticipated against the truck’s driver.
U.S. 98 is a heavily traveled corridor connecting Mobile with communities in western Mobile County, including Semmes and Wilmer, and carries significant commuter and commercial traffic throughout the day and into the evening hours. The stretch where the crash occurred is known locally for limited lighting and few marked pedestrian crossings, conditions that safety advocates have periodically flagged as a concern for anyone on foot near the highway after dark.
Pedestrian fatalities on rural and semi-rural highways like U.S. 98 tend to spike during the winter months, when darkness falls earlier and drivers have less time to react to people or obstacles in the roadway. Alabama traffic safety officials have urged pedestrians to use available crosswalks, wear reflective or light-colored clothing when walking near roads after sunset, and avoid entering travel lanes outside of designated crossing areas whenever possible.
State troopers continue to investigate the exact circumstances that led to the crash, including the man’s location and visibility at the time he entered the highway, and whether speed or roadway conditions played any role in the collision. As is standard practice in fatal crash investigations, troopers will file a formal report once their inquiry concludes.
The death adds to a string of pedestrian-involved crashes reported on Mobile County roadways in recent months, a trend that has drawn attention from local traffic safety advocates who have called for expanded lighting and additional crosswalks along some of the county’s busier corridors. No further details were available as the investigation continued.