Pedestrian Struck By Big Rig While Crossing I-35 In Temple

Temple Police have reported that a 66-year-old man from Odessa, Texas, was struck and killed by a commercial truck while trying to cross Interstate 35 early on Wednesday morning.
According to local news sources, the man, Dennis English, had just eaten breakfast at a nearby restaurant, Denny’s, and was crossing the interstate in order to get back to his vehicle. A visitor in the area, the man must not have known or seen that there is a pedestrian bridge for safe crossing a few hundred yards from the scene.
English was crossing I-35 from the west side to the east side when he was struck by a big rig traveling south on the road. The 18-wheeler truck dragged the man’s body for a number of yards and then several other cars hit the man in the road. According to the truck driver and witnesses, the trucker attempted to swerve and miss the man, but could not. He stopped at the scene of the accident and is fully cooperating with police. It is not clear whether he will be cited in connection with the vehicle accident.
The deadly pedestrian accident took place at 5:30 in the morning and though that stretch of interstate is lit, police believe that the crossing man was difficult to see. The police also believe that speed could have been a factor in the fatal accident. The man was killed instantly by the truck.
Crossing the interstate on foot in Texas is illegal.