Man dies after reportedly chasing dog into traffic, being hit by car

A 33-year-old man is dead after he was fatally struck by a car when he ran into traffic chasing after a dog.

The incident occurred at approximately 1 p.m. on Monday afternoon in Kingsport, Tennessee -- about 100 miles northeast of Knoxville -- when the Kingsport Police Department Traffic Unit responded to a call regarding a motor vehicle striking a pedestrian as it travelled north on Lynn Garden Drive, authorities said.

“A light blue 2020 Honda Odyssey minivan, driven and solely occupied by [a male driver] of Kingsport, appears to have been traveling lawfully northbound on Lynn Garden Drive, when a pedestrian, Gordon Gale Johnson of Kingsport, suddenly ran into the roadway, directly into its path, chasing after a dog,” read a statement released by the Kingsport Police Department following the incident.

It was initially reported that 33-year-old Gordon Gale Johnson was taken by Sullivan County EMS to a local area hospital to be treated for his injuries but police confirmed that he had died several hours later from injuries sustained in the crash with 49-year-old driver. Police say that the man was unable to avoid a collision and that he was uninjured in the collision with Johnson.

It is unclear if the dog belonged to Johnson or what the circumstances were surrounding the incident and how the dog managed to get loose in the first place.

The accident now remains under open and active investigation by the Kingsport Police Department Traffic Unit and no further details are expected to be released until authorities conclude their investigation.