A Kentucky police officer has died after he was struck by an out-of-control vehicle while checking an abandoned car Saturday.
According to the Louisville Courier Journal, the accident involved Louisville Metro Police Officer Zach Cottongim, and it happened at about 10 a.m. along Interstate 64. He was handling an abandoned vehicle on the side of the road when he was struck by a vehicle that lost control.
Cottongim, 29, was rushed to the hospital, where he was in and out of surgeries for 10 hours. He later died from his injuries just after 9 p.m.
"I am devastated by the passing of @LMPD Officer Zach Cottongim. Zach's family is beloved within our LMPD family — his father, Dale and wife, Jamie," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer wrote in a social media post.
Cottongim had been with the department since September 2014. His father also is a Louisville police officer, and his wife is a member of the department as a civilian information process.
"There are no words to express how deeply the entire department feels his loss. … Zach was an excellent police officer and human being and will be missed by us all," the department wrote on social media.
Although it wasn't a hit-and-run, the incident is still under investigation.
