"It's troubling:" 57-year-old man dies after being hit by a car while crossing street

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A Milwaukee man is dead after he was hit by a car early Wednesday morning, October 29th. It happened near N. Hopkins and W. Glendale Avenue around 7:00 a.m. Now, Milwaukee police are trying to determine exactly what happened.

Yellow police tape blocked Hopkins Street for about two hours on Wednesday morning as police worked the scene. Officers with the Milwaukee Police Accident Reconstruction Unit and the Forensic Investigation Team were working to gather evidence to figure out how the 57-year-old Milwaukee man died.

Icey McCollum was on the scene on Wednesday morning -- deeply affected by the sight of the man's body covered by a tarp, hoping children on their way to school didn't know what they were seeing.

"It`s troubling, but what can you do. It's not good for a child to see someone dead in the street," McCollum said.

Police haven't said yet if speed was a factor in the incident or whether the person crossing the street was doing so illegally, but neighbors say Hopkins can be a dangerous street to try to cross.

"It's busy and they do come by fast," McCollum said.

Police say the driver is cooperating with the investigation. Officials were also seen going in and out of a nearby foot mart. They appeared to be looking for security camera video, hoping the store's cameras may have caught the incident on tape.

A white van was later towed away from the scene. It did not appear to have any visible damage.

McCollum says this tragedy is one he feels could have been prevented.

"I just hope people will take precautions next time when they see something like this, a body in the street like this," McCollum said.

Police say the 44-year-old driver of the van remained at the scene and is cooperating with police. He hasn't been cited.