Pittsburgh Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins dies after being struck by a dump truck

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was killed on Saturday morning when a dump truck hit him while he walked across a highway in South Florida.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement that he was "devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins. He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community."

The Florida Highway Patrol said Haskins, 24, was struck as he attempted to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The incident was reported after 6:30 a.m. It's unclear why Haskins was walking on the highway, the patrol said. CNN reports that Haskins was in South Florida last week working out with some of his Steelers teammates.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

In March, Haskins re-signed with the Steelers for one year. While attending Ohio State, Haskins set OSU and Big Ten Conference records, including touchdown passes (50), and finished third in voting for the 2018 Heisman Trophy.

"The loss of Dwayne is beyond tragic and extremely difficult to process," Ohio State coach Ryan Day tweeted. "For those who knew him closely, he was much more than a great football player. He had a giant heart, old soul, and an infectious smile."