Officials: 79-year-old man attempted to pick up ladder from highway when he was struck and killed

PHOENIX (KPHO/Gray News) — A man in Arizona was struck and killed by a vehicle while trying to pick up a ladder on a freeway, according to officials.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety said 79-year-old German Perez Ortiz Jr. was killed early Thursday afternoon.

The collision was reported in the southbound lanes of the Loop 303 near Peoria Avenue just after 1 p.m.

Troopers with the department said Ortiz seemed to have been attempting to retrieve a ladder on the freeway when he was hit.

Officials said he died at the scene.

During the initial investigation, the southbound lanes of the highway were closed. They were reopened around 4 p.m.