Police give more information on pedestrian fatality

DEXTER, Mo. -- More details were released concerning a Saturday accident that killed 36-year-old Terry Belcher.

Belcher had just crossed the eastbound lane of U.S. 60 on foot when a 2003 Dodge Dakota struck him near the edge of the road, according to information from Dexter Police Detective Cory Mills.

According to the report, the driver said he was passing a vehicle and traveling the speed limit of 65 mph.

The driver said he saw Belcher just a moment before impact and had no time to react.

Dexter Police Cpl. Kevin Cluck arrived at the scene and found the driver performing CPR on Belcher. Cluck identified Belcher as dead and informed the driver he could stop performing CPR, according to the report.

Cluck performed a field sobriety test on the driver, followed by a breathalyzer test. According to the report, the driver did not show signs of impairment, and the breath test indicated no alcohol.

The driver told officers he had dimmed his headlights as he approached the vehicle he was passing. The vehicle was reportedly merging onto the highway at the time.

"(The driver) said the pedestrian was doing something on what looked like a phone (... simulated with both hands like the pedestrian was looking down at his phone) instead of looking up toward the oncoming traffic," the report states. "(The driver) said once he struck the pedestrian, the pedestrian came up onto the hood area of the truck, and a short distance later came off the truck and slid into the ditch."

The driver said nothing was happening inside of his vehicle that might have distracted him. He said he was wearing his glasses, and his cell phone had been secured to his hip in its holster.

Upon arriving on the accident scene, EMS workers confirmed Belcher was dead, and the coroner's office was contacted.

Mills said it remains unknown why Belcher was crossing the highway on foot, or what his destination was.

No charges are expected, police say.