Man sentenced to ten years in prison for hit-and-run that fatally killed a pedestrian in downtown Dallas

A Dallas County man who pleaded guilty to killing a pedestrian in a serious hit-and-run crash in downtown Dallas last year has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Customer Nadew, 66, was charged with a state jail felony after he struck Adolphus Hotel employee Lisa Jordan and failed to stop last August. Jordan was in the crosswalk at the corner of Commerce and Akard Streets when she was struck, run over and briefly dragged by Nadew's Ford Explorer. Jordan died of her injuries shortly after the collision.

Ten years is the maximum possible sentence and was imposed by Judge Stephanie Huff in Dallas County's 291st District. According to Assistant District Attorney and Head of the Traffic Crimes Unit Andrew James, Nadew was also fined $10,000 during his sentencing on August 13.

Nadew has a history of traffic violations, which Huff took into account when determining his sentence. He was convicted of driving under the influence in Atlanta in 1992, James said, and his taxi license in Portland was revoked in 2012 after a drunken driving arrest, according to the Portland Mercury. He received citations for running a red light, using a cellphone while driving, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, speeding in a school zone and obstructing traffic, public records show.

According to the Mercury, Nadew was fined over $25,000 for illegally accepting taxi rides in Portland.

Surveillance footage of the crash shows Nadew dropping off a passenger at the Adolphus Hotel before hitting Jordan. Nadew told Dallas officials he was driving for a taxi company, but court records do not indicate which company.

“The video is just horrific because it shows something that clearly should not have happened,” James said.

Jordan's death prompted residents to petition the city to establish a pedestrian plaza – a car-free zone reserved exclusively for pedestrians – on Akard between Elm and Commerce. Pedestrian plazas allow cars access only for essential activities such as emergencies and garbage collection.

Hexel Colorado, a Dallas resident and pedestrian activist who started the petition in February, said he wished Nadew had been given a higher sentence.

“This is an individual with a long, sordid history of drunk, reckless and illegal driving,” Colorado said. “Clearly, this man is a serious threat to public safety everywhere.”

“At least I would have hoped for 20 years.”

Nadew was sentenced under a stop-and-yield law that went into effect in 2021 after a pedestrian crash killed 37-year-old Lisa Torry Smith and injured her 6-year-old son, Logan. Because Nadew's car was used as a deadly weapon, he must serve at least five years of the sentence before he can be released, James said.

Nadew argued he struck Jordan because his brakes failed, but a pre-trial investigation found the brakes worked as expected. James said he believes Nadew was distracted by his cell phone during the crash.

“For someone who makes his living as a driver, he did some dangerous things and that's why I asked the judge to sentence him to 10 years in prison,” James said.

In exchange for the guilty plea, an additional charge of fleeing the scene was dropped, James said.

Jordan leaves behind her husband, Steven, and their 20-year-old daughter, Savannah. Steven previously said he supports efforts to improve pedestrian safety downtown.

“She [Jordan] “She did everything she was supposed to do and yet it happened,” he said in March.

Steven and Lisa's mother testified at Nadew's sentencing, James said. Steven did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Nadew's verdict.

Nadew has appealed the ruling to the Fifth Circuit. His court-appointed attorney for the appeal, April Smith, could not be reached Friday afternoon.

Colorado and fellow advocate Courtney Hunter remain in discussions with the city of Dallas about ways to improve pedestrian safety, Colorado said.