A hitchhiker killed on State Highway 1 in Hampden on Wednesday night after apparently being struck by a truck and a car was believed to be a Dunedin man.
Police expect to release today the name of the man, believed to be a 36-year-old from Dunedin, once formal identification has been completed.
The fatality happened just before midnight, just south of the Hampden Police Station, and the man died at the scene.
Sergeant Tony Woodbridge, of Oamaru, said police believed the man, who was wearing dark clothing, had hitchhiked from Dunedin to Palmerston, where he collected a dog. He then got a ride to Hampden, where he stopped and spoke to people he knew.
He then planned to hitchhike north, although it was not yet known where he was heading. The dog was "OK" and was being cared for in Hampden, Sgt Woodbridge said.
Police had spoken to the occupants of the two vehicles involved in the incident - a sole occupant in a "light-to-medium" truck and two people in the car - and all were very shaken. Victim Support was providing support.
Oamaru police wanted to speak to the driver of a white van, who picked up a male hitchhiker with a black dog and dropped them in the Hampden township.
Police also wanted to hear from anyone who might have seen the man hitchhiking or given him a ride, and from anyone who witnessed the incident.
A police vehicle was not far behind the vehicles involved and was on the scene "almost immediately", the sergeant said.
A detour was in place for five or six hours and the northbound lane was still closed yesterday afternoon.
Members of the serious crash unit and police photographers had been at the scene and the two vehicles involved had been inspected.
