SOUTH MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA — A Texas truck driver charged in a fiery seven-vehicle crash on Interstate 81 that killed a Newville mother told troopers he was speeding and that he had not disclosed a narcolepsy diagnosis so he could keep his commercial driver’s license, according to charging documents filed by Pennsylvania State Police.
Rodis David III, 43, of Round Rock, Texas, was driving a 2026 Peterbilt tractor-trailer on northbound I-81 near mile marker 47 in Cumberland County just before 7:30 a.m. on Friday, October 23, when he crashed into the back of a Honda CR-V. David told troopers he was going between 65 and 70 mph in a 55 mph zone and did not have time to stop for a traffic backup caused by an earlier crash.
The tractor-trailer pushed the CR-V into a Mitsubishi, then drove both vehicles into a Subaru Forester, which struck a Dodge Ram hauling a trailer. Several other vehicles were also hit. The Subaru caught fire. Its driver, Jessica Moore, 36, of Newville, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three other people were taken to the hospital, and the affidavit shows two had serious injuries, including a brain bleed and broken bones.
Court documents say David told troopers he suffers from narcolepsy and did not reveal the diagnosis so he could keep his CDL. Investigators also found that the truck’s inspection expired in August and that a cell phone mount suction cup on the windshield blocked part of his view.
David is charged with felony homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault by vehicle, a misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person, and several summary driving violations. He is being held in Cumberland County Prison on $150,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 4.
A GoFundMe started by family friend Thomas Yohe is raising money to help Moore’s family with the costs of honoring her life.
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