Man who went to retrieve grill that fell out of pickup bed on I-696 has died

A 71-year-old man has died after being struck by a vehicle while he was running on I-696. 

The elderly man had been driving a silver pickup truck westbound on the highway when the grill he had loaded into the back fell off the bed and into the road. 

The driver then pulled his vehicle onto the Hoover on-ramp and went to retrieve the grill. While running, a passenger vehicle traveling westbound struck him. He was later pronounced dead.

The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m.

A witness who saw the incident pulled over to help the man out before a nurse showed up. 

Michigan State Police closed all westbound lanes on I-696 to investigate the scene. As of noon, the lanes were still blocked off.

Stay with FOX 2 for more details