Brodnax, Virginia police chief dies from being hit by pickup truck

A police chief in Virginia has died after being hit by a vehicle.

Thursday evening, Brodnax Police Chief Joe Carey died after being hit by a pickup truck on Route 58 while removing a dead animal from the road.

The Virginia State Police is investigating a fatal pedestrian crash in Mecklenburg County.

Brodnax Police Chief Joe Carey had pulled off to the right side of the road in the 200 block of Piney Pond Rd/Route 58 to remove animal remains from the road. As Carey was returning to the side of the highway, a Ford F-150 pickup truck hit Carey.

Carey was transported to Community Memorial Hospital - VCU Health in South Hill, where he died.

The police vehicle's lights were on while it was parked on the side of the highway, but the driver was "unable to avoid striking him," according to the Virginia State Police Department.

The driver of the pickup truck was not injured.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.