BROADNAX, Va. (AP) — A Virginia police chief died after a pickup truck struck him on the side of a highway, according to police.

Brodnax Police Chief Joe Carey, 66, was hit by the vehicle on Friday after he pulled over to recover the remains of a dead animal on the road, a Virginia State Police news release said.

Carey died at a hospital. The man driving the pickup truck wasn’t injured.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, police said.

The lights on Carey’s police vehicle were on while parked on the side of the highway, according to police.

Brodnax Mayor Don Dugger said Carey was “a genuine friend to so many of us.”

“He truly loved his job and worked hard to make a difference while protecting and serving our town,” the mayor said in a statement.

Brodnax is in Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties, in southern Virginia.

Copyright 2022 by the Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.

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