A pedestrian was hit and killed while crossing a street in downtown Athens on Wednesday night, police said.

Investigators believe Carl Lyle Freeman, 78, of Greensboro, was leaving a FedEx store and headed toward Cadence Bank on West Broad Street when he was hit. His body was found in the road when officers arrived just after 9:30 p.m., according to Athens-Clarke County police.

The vehicle that hit Freeman, a 2001 Ford Ranger, remained on scene.

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According to investigators, the Ford was traveling westbound and hit Freeman, who was walking northbound. Freeman made it across six lanes before he was hit, police spokesman Lt. John Radford said in a news release.

“It was raining at the time of the collision, and the scene was not well lit,” Radford said.

Neither Freeman nor the Ford’s driver are affiliated with the University of Georgia, he said.

It’s the third deadly crash investigated in Athens this year.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

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Channel 2?s Audrey Washington reports.

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