Bethel, NY — May 8, 2025, Brett Stevens was killed in a truck accident at about 5:45 a.m. on State Route 17B.

Authorities said a pedestrian was walking near Happy Avenue when he was hit by a semi-truck.

Pedestrian Brett Stevens, 30, died at the scene of the crash, according to authorities. The truck driver was not injured.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Sullivan County crash at this time. The accident is still being investigated.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Anytime a pedestrian is hit by a semi-truck on a highway, it raises immediate questions about visibility, driver attentiveness and whether both parties were where they were supposed to be. From a legal standpoint, cases like this hinge on a careful look at the facts, most of which won’t be obvious from the crash scene alone.

To start, visibility is often central. Was it dark at the time? Were the truck’s headlights working properly? Did the pedestrian have reflective clothing or any light source? These are the kinds of questions investigators must answer to determine whether the driver reasonably could have seen the person in the road.

It’s also essential to consider the location of the pedestrian. Was this person in the roadway, or on the shoulder? Was this a place people commonly walk, or a location where pedestrians aren’t expected at all? That distinction can affect whether the truck driver had a legal duty to anticipate encountering someone on foot.

From the driver’s side, distraction is always a factor worth investigating. Did the driver have a clear, unobstructed view? Was their attention on the road, or diverted by a phone, GPS system or something else inside the cab? These questions can’t be answered without a look at logbooks, call records and in some cases, data from the truck itself.

As is often the case in fatal truck accidents, the real issue is whether investigators will gather enough of the right evidence to draw fair and accurate conclusions. If the inquiry ends at the scene, that’s a red flag. A thorough investigation would follow up on things like the truck’s black box data, video footage from dashcams if available and the driver’s background.

In short, pedestrian crashes involving large trucks are more legally complex than they might seem. It’s not enough to ask whether a person was in the road; we also have to ask whether the driver was in a position to avoid them, and whether they did everything the law expects a professional driver to do in that situation.