A 69-year-old Honolulu man died after he was struck by a vehicle early Friday as he walked in the middle of the Kalaeloa extension to the H-1 freeway eastbound.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Esteras Hartman.

The accident occurred around 4:43 a.m., according to city Emergency Medical Services. Paramedics treated and transported the man to a hospital in critical condition where he later died.

Police said the man was neither in a marked crosswalk nor in an area made for pedestrians when he was struck by the vehicle.

A witness said that prior to the crash the same man may have been trying to cross the westbound lanes, police said.

“We really don’t know what his intention was. He was in the middle lane between the off- and on-ramp in the area,” HPD Lt. Andre Peters said.

Police closed the Kalaeloa on-ramp and off-ramp around 5 a.m. to conduct an investigation and reopened all lanes at 7:40 a.m.

This was the 29th traffic fatality on Oahu this year compared with 39 at the same time last year.