Prattville Woman Dies One Month After Being Struck by Truck on Alabama 14

Catrina P. Conard, 33, was crossing Alabama State Route 14 to reach the Autauga County Sheriff's Office Rodeo when a pickup truck struck her at dusk on February 28. She never left the hospital. Her family confirmed her death on the morning of April 2, 2026, 33 days after the collision.

Conard, a Prattville resident, was hit around 7 p.m. near the 141 mile marker on Alabama 14, adjacent to the Autauga County Agricultural Center, where the 3rd Annual Autauga County Sheriff's Foundation Rodeo was underway that evening. The Autauga County Sheriff's Office confirmed to local media that she had been trying to cross the highway to reach the event. Scott E. Stauth, 55, of Wellton, was driving the 2020 Toyota Tundra that struck her. Stauth was uninjured. Emergency responders rushed Conard to Baptist Medical Center South in Montgomery, where she was admitted in critical condition.

She remained hospitalized for approximately one month. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency formally identified her on March 4, 2026, four days after the crash. As of April 3, no charges against Stauth have been publicly announced, and ALEA's Highway Patrol Division has not confirmed the investigation's conclusion.

The collision unfolded on a semi-rural state highway at the exact moment a large crowd had gathered for a countywide public event, raising direct questions about whether adequate pedestrian safety measures were in place. No crosswalk at the 141 mile marker has been publicly identified, and no official statement from the Autauga County Sheriff's Office, event organizers, or ALDOT has addressed whether traffic or pedestrian management was deployed for the rodeo.

Alabama consistently ranks among states with higher pedestrian fatality rates on rural state routes. The stretch of Alabama 14 near the Agricultural Center is a mixed-use corridor that carries highway-speed traffic through an area where foot traffic increases sharply during public events. No agency has publicly announced plans to add crossing infrastructure at the site. ALEA's investigation remains open.