BAY MINETTE — A Stapleton woman was struck and killed Thursday evening on U.S. Highway 31 South near Hurricane Road.

According to Bay Minette Police Chief Michael Rowland, 46-year-old Debra B. Sprinkle, of Bromley Road, was walking north along the highway at about 10 p.m. when she stepped out into traffic.

Rowland said Sprinkle was struck by a pickup driven by 58-year-old Everette Dwight Griffin of Perdido.

"Although the driver tried to skid to a stop, he struck the victim at a point that was approximately three feet into the roadway," Rowland said.

Sprinkle was pronounced dead at the scene by a member of the Baldwin County Coroner's Office, and her body was taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Mobile for autopsy.

"There was nothing at the scene as far as containers or the smell of alcohol to indicate she was under the influence," Capt. Clarence Crook said. "But we won't know for sure until we get a toxicology report back." Crook said that could take up to six weeks.

According to both men, Sprinkle was a regular sight along the highway and other areas of Bay Minette.

"Sprinkle was well known within the Bay Minette community and was often seen walking along U.S. Highway 31," Rowland said.

"It was not unusual to see her walking anytime, day or night," Crook said. "I often saw her outside stores or talking to people at the gas stations."

Rowland said Sprinkle was involved in a similar incident in September 2008 when she was "struck by an automobile near the same location of this incident."