38-year-old chasing his dog after freeway crash is hit and killed, Oregon police say

A 38-year-old man died after being hit by traffic on Interstate 5 while chasing his dog, Oregon State Police reported.

The dog escaped after Michael Ernest Summers of Salem hit a barrier at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, police said in a news release.

The dog ran into traffic lanes with Summers in pursuit until he was hit by a car driven by an 83-year-old Salem woman, police said.

Summers died at the scene, police said. The other driver remained at the crash scene and an investigation continues.

The accident disrupted traffic for several hours.

Salem is a city of about 178,000 people about 45 miles south of Portland.

This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 8:55 AM with the headline "38-year-old chasing his dog after freeway crash is hit and killed, Oregon police say."