A Verona man is dead after being hit by a tractor-trailer while trying to retrieve something that fell off his truck while driving on Interstate 81 on Thursday.
Roger L. Johnson, 62, was driving south on I-81 near the 226 mile marker when a cooler fell off of his vehicle just after 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. He pulled onto the right shoulder, parked his vehicle, and ran into the southbound lanes to retrieve the item.
A southbound tractor-trailer swerved in an attempt to avoid Johnson, who was in the center of the interstate lanes. But when the tractor-trailer swerved to the left, so did Johnson. Johnson was subsequently struck by the tractor-trailer.
Johnson died at the scene.
The tractor-trailer driver immediately pulled off onto the left shoulder and stopped at the scene.