Madras man struck, killed on Hwy. 97; was walking back to car after running out of gas

(Update: OSP IDs victim, releases details)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Madras man was struck and killed on U.S. Highway 97 north of Bend Wednesday night as he was walking in the roadway back to his car, which had run out of gas, Oregon State Police reported.

The crash occurred around 9:20 p.m. near milepost 129, about six miles north of Bend.

Troopers said their preliminary investigation found that Anthony Manuel Hernandez, 40, of Madras, was walking in the southbound travel lanes when he was struck by a southbound SUV driven by a 45-year-old Portland man.

“Hernandez had run out of fuel and was walking back to his vehicle at the time of the crash,” an OSP news release stated. He died at the scene.

The crash occurred in the southbound lanes of the 8300 block of South Highway 97, south of the intersection with 61st Street, ODOT Region 4 Public Information Officer Kacey Davey said.

The highway was fully closed until 11 p.m., when northbound lanes reopened for traffic to get by in both directions. It fully reopened around 3 a.m. Thursday, Davey said.