A woman died on Saturday after walking into the middle of a busy highway and getting struck by a vehicle, according to The Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the crash occurred around 6 a.m. on U.S. Highway 92 West at Payne Street.
Around that time, the PCSO Emergency Communications Center reported receiving an influx of calls from motorists saying that a woman was sitting in the middle of the road on the east lanes of the highway, forcing cars to drive around her.
While on the phone with PCSO telecommunicators, a caller said they saw the woman stand up and walk into the road before being struck by a red SUV.
According to deputies, the driver of the SUV was a 71-year-old man.
It was dark at the time of the incident and the man told deputies he did not see the woman until she appeared right in front of him.
The victim was identified as a 45-year-old woman but her name has not yet been released.
She died at the scene.