A seven-year veteran of the Louisville Metro Police Department died Saturday after he was struck by a vehicle while working on the side of the road.

Officer Zach Cottongim, 29, was tending to an abandoned vehicle around 10 a.m. Saturday on Interstate 64 west when a vehicle lost control and hit him, said LMPD spokeswoman Officer Elizabeth Ruoff.

He underwent surgery at the University of Louisville Hospital but died from his injuries shortly after 9 p.m. Cottongim was in and out of surgeries for 10 hours but couldn't be saved, Chief Erika Shields said late Saturday outside the hospital.

Ruoff noted the incident, which happened near Mellwood Avenue, was not a hit-and-run and said the department’s traffic unit is investigating “all variables."