(CNN) Jim Boeheim, longtime head coach of the Syracuse University men's basketball team, hit and killed a pedestrian who was walking along Interstate 690 late Wednesday in upstate New York, according to a police statement obtained by CNN affiliate WSYR.

In the statement, Syracuse police said a 51-year-old man was on the side of the highway after a vehicle he was in lost control and struck a guardrail.

Boeheim, 74, was driving and noticed the vehicle, which was in the middle of the roadway. Boeheim moved to avoid the vehicle and ended up hitting the man, police said.

Police said they were called to the initial accident at about 11:22 p.m.

The man who was struck was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Syracuse police.

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