KDH police: Mail carrier charged after fatally striking pedestrian with vehicle

A Kill Devil Hills Police Department vehicle is pictured parked outside town hall. The mail carrier vehicle incident took place Monday, May 19, 2025, according to police. (Photo by Corinne Saunders)

By Corinne Saunders

KILL DEVIL HILLS — An 84-year-old Kill Devil Hills man died three days after being struck by a mail carrier vehicle as he was checking his mailbox, according to the Kill Devil Hills Police Department.

James Robert Hofler, a U.S. Navy veteran, passed away on Thursday, May 22, at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville, according to his online obituary.

Officers charged Amy Hudler, 53, of Colington, with misdemeanor death by vehicle on Wednesday, May 28, via North Carolina Criminal Summons. This was considered a “non-custodial arrest” with no associated bond, according to Lt. Julie Haner.

Kill Devil Hills police officers responded Monday, May 19, around 2 p.m. to a motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian in the 2000 block of Portsmouth Street in Kill Devil Hills.

The investigation determined that Hudler, operating a U.S. Postal Service-owned 2021 Mercedes-Benz mail carrier vehicle, struck Hofler “as he was crossing the roadway from east to west to check his mailbox” while she was backing up northbound on Portsmouth Street, according to Haner.

“Hudler immediately contacted emergency services and remained on scene, fully cooperating with law enforcement,” Haner said, noting that Dare County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department also responded.

Hofler sustained serious injuries, and EMS transported him to the Outer Banks Health Hospital in Nags Head, she continued.

“He was later transferred to a higher-level medical facility, where he succumbed to his injuries on May 22,” she said.

The Kill Devil Hills Police Department in its public information on the incident offered “its deepest condolences to the Hofler family during this difficult time. We remind all motorists and pedestrians to remain vigilant and exercise due caution on our roadways to help prevent future tragedies.”

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The caption was updated at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 4, 2025, to address reader confusion over the photo being from last fall. The incident happened this May.