Ke’Maurion Porter, 18, a senior football player at Hillcrest High School, was struck and killed by an 18-wheeler while crossing Interstate 65 near the 100-mile marker in Conecuh County, Alabama, Sunday night, September 13, according to the Conecuh County Coroner’s Office. He had exited his vehicle following an earlier crash with another car when he was hit. Hillcrest High School closed Monday in his memory.
A weekend drive on I-65 turned into two crashes and one devastating loss for a south Alabama community that’s now mourning one of its own.
What Happened on I-65
According to the Conecuh County Coroner’s Office, Porter was involved in a crash with another vehicle around 9:29 p.m. Sunday near the 100-mile marker on Interstate 65. After the initial collision, Porter got out of his vehicle and attempted to cross the interstate on foot. He was struck by an 18-wheeler.
He was taken to Evergreen Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The crash remains under investigation by the Conecuh County Coroner’s Office and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
A School Community in Mourning
Porter was a senior student-athlete at Hillcrest High School in Conecuh County. In recognition of the loss, Conecuh County Schools closed Hillcrest High for the day on Monday, September 14.
“Out of respect for the family and in recognition of the tremendous impact this loss has had on our students, faculty, staff, and school community, Hillcrest High School will be closed Monday, September 14, 2026,” the school said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, friends, classmates, teachers, and everyone affected by this devastating loss. We ask our community to surround this family and our Hillcrest High School family with love, compassion, and support during this incredibly difficult time.”
Friends and loved ones remembered Porter as a model student who stayed disciplined both on and off the football field and never got into trouble — the kind of young person whose loss lands hard across an entire community.
Remembered by His Coach
Justin Nared, now offensive coordinator at Baldwin County High School, coached Porter last season and shared a lengthy tribute with AL.com.
“Ke’Maurion was an extremely hardworking young man with a big personality and an even bigger heart,” Nared wrote. “He grew up in Conecuh County, spent some time in Andalusia and later transferred to Hillcrest his junior year. Because of his strong family ties in this area, so many people already knew him and knew the kind of young man he was. He loved football, he loved the weight room and he loved to work. He carried himself with confidence, believed in himself and brought energy wherever he went.”
Nared didn’t hold back on how deeply the loss is being felt.
“To lose a young man at only 18 years old, with so much life still ahead of him, is absolutely heartbreaking,” he said. “My thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with his mother, his entire family, everyone in the Conecuh County community, and the football family as a whole. Ke’Maurion will be remembered for his work ethic, his personality, his confidence and the impact he had on the people around him.”
