Update (January 22, 2026): Authorities have identified the man killed in this accident as Anthony Jackson, 35, of Apple Valley.

San Bernardino County, CA — January 17, 2026, a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run truck accident at about 1:45 p.m. on State Route 247/Barstow Road.

Authorities said a semi-truck hit a pedestrian near the intersection with Charro Road south of Barstow and apparently continued driving.

The pedestrian, whose name has not been made public yet, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the San Bernardino County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When someone hears that a pedestrian was killed by a semi-truck that didn’t stop, a natural reaction is: How does something like that even happen? And more importantly, why would a truck driver just keep going?

Those are the questions that matter here. Not because they make for a shocking headline, but because they get to the heart of accountability. Was this a driver who knew they hit someone and kept going? Was the pedestrian already in the roadway? Was visibility a factor? The truth is, we just don’t know yet; and until there’s an investigation into the circumstances, speculation doesn’t help anyone.

What we do know is that when a commercial truck hits a pedestrian and leaves the scene, the law demands answers. But those answers won’t come from a press release. They come from real investigative tools: dash cam footage, black box data and driver cell phone records. If the truck had in-cab video, and many do, it might show whether the driver saw the pedestrian, whether they braked or whether they were distracted.

Another key question: has the truck or driver been identified? If not, then time is of the essence. Trucking companies routinely track their vehicles through GPS and electronic logs. The sooner investigators secure that data, the better the chance of identifying who was behind the wheel.

Assuming the driver is located, more questions follow: Was this someone with a clean safety record, or had there been prior red flags? Was the company following proper hiring and training procedures? I’ve handled cases where drivers with poor histories were put on the road anyway; and when disaster followed, it wasn’t a surprise. It was a failure of oversight.

At this stage, there's a lot we don't know, including how the crash happened, why the driver left and what kind of evidence exists. But what is clear is that a pedestrian is dead, and that demands a thorough, independent investigation. Not just to understand what happened, but to make sure the right people are held accountable.

Key Takeaways:

• It's not yet clear how or why the truck hit the pedestrian, or why the driver didn't stop.
• Critical evidence like dash cams, black box data and GPS logs may help identify the truck and determine what happened.
• If the driver is found, their safety record and the company’s hiring policies will be important areas of scrutiny.
• Proper investigation is the only way to ensure the right parties are held accountable.
• Time-sensitive data must be preserved quickly before it's lost or overwritten.