SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A 26-year-old southwest Missouri man is dead after apparently stepping in front of traffic while walking along an expressway and being hit by an SUV.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that Steven Mayer of Fair Grove was pronounced dead at the scene early Sunday.

Authorities say there was no indication that the SUV driver was impaired. An investigation continues.

Mayer was the 18th person to die in a traffic-related incident this year.