An 87-year-old man lost his life while attempting to save a turtle on Florida’s Interstate 95 during the Fourth of July weekend.
The Vermont native was traveling on I-95 through Indian River County when he spotted a turtle on the busy highway shortly before 4:30 p.m., local time Sunday, July 6, according to a press release from the Florida Highway Patrol shared with PEOPLE.
The man stopped his vehicle on the right shoulder of the highway and began walking east across the southbound lanes.
As the man attempted to complete the act, a 2020 Mazda CX-9 in the center lane slowed down to avoid hitting him.
However, a 2020 Dodge 3500 pickup truck, also traveling in the center lane, failed to slow down in time and hit the first vehicle.
The collision caused the Mazda to “ran off the road to the right, entered a grass shoulder, collided with a fence and came to final rest on the west side of the fence facing northeast,” the press release said.
The 87-year-old man, who was later identified as Frank J. Quinn, was then struck by the Dodge and thrown onto the left shoulder.
His next of kin was on the scene as he succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
No injuries were reported to the passengers of the other vehicles. The turtle’s condition is unknown.