A pedestrian who was helping to load up a disabled vehicle along Interstate 70 was killed when he was hit by a passing semi.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, three pedestrians were loading a disabled vehicle onto a trailer on the north shoulder of I-70 in Ellis County. One pedestrian was attempting to strap down the vehicle on the side of the trailer closest to the road. The driver of an approaching Freightliner semi failed to maintain his lane, and struck the pedestrian who was located on the roadway side of the vehicle.

The pedestrian, identified as  37-year-old Julio Caesar Villarreal from Wakeeney, died at the scene.

The incident happened at around 4:00 Sunday afternoon on I-70 about a half-mile west of the US-183 Alternate junction in Ellis County.