A UAW picketer at General Motors' Spring Hill Assembly in Tennessee died Tuesday after being struck by a passing Chevrolet Equinox in what a union official called a "innocent tragic accident."

Roy A. McCombs, 55, "tragically lost his life today on a picket line standing up for a better life for himself and his coworkers," the UAW said in a statement, in which it also offered condolences to his family, friends and co-workers.

McCombs was hit on a bridge outside the GM plant.

A driver crossing the bridge around 6 a.m., when it was still dark, struck McCombs, who was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead in the emergency room, said Lt. Jeremy Haywood of the Columbia police department in Columbia, Tennessee.

The driver who hit McCombs was cooperating with investigators.

“He was there to participate in strike duty, but he was not actively picketing at the time,” Haywood said.

McCombs was crossing the road to get to the picket line when he was hit, Haywood said. He declined to comment on if the driver could not see McCombs saying, “I don’t have any details as far as the driver’s statement. The investigation isn’t complete.”

A striker familiar with the layout of the plant said the gate where the strikers were supposed to picket was well off the roadway and few motorists could see the picket line. So instead the strikers were picketing on a bridge that crossed U.S. Highway 31 and "it was a disaster waiting to happen," this striker told the Free Press.

In an afternoon social media post, Local 1853 Chairman Mike Herron said, "Sergeant Orlando Cox from the Columbia Police Dept. will be releasing a statement shortly that will describe this event as an innocent tragic accident. He has asked that everyone refrain from going to the South Gate for safety reasons. He requested that any vigils be held at our union hall and not in the vicinity of this accident — to ensure the safety of the participants."

Herron said the UAW local sends thoughts and prayers to McCombs' family as well as the driver, "who was on her way to drop off her kids at the day care center located at the south exit when this tragic accident occurred."

GM issued a statement after the accident saying, "We are deeply saddened to confirm an employee death occurred this morning from a vehicle-pedestrian accident on a public road near GM’s Spring Hill Assembly Plant’s South entrance. We offer our thoughts and prayers to the employee’s family and all who are impacted by this tragedy. General Motors is committed to employee safety and plant leadership is working closely with authorities to investigate and understand what happened."

Herron said the union hall had received several phone calls from "heartbroken" members wanting to hold a vigil for McCombs. That will be done when the family is ready, Herron said.

All strike activity has ended at the South Gate of the plant and no pickets will be set up there in the future, Herron said. Also, the UAW crisis team has been called in and will meet personally with UAW members that were on the South Gate at the time of the accident as well as McCombs' coworkers on the third shift.

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UAW members at Spring Hill have taken part in picketing as part of the union's nationwide strike against GM since Sept. 16. On Monday, the 3,300 Spring Hill workers voted to reject a tentative agreement with GM by 51%.

Picketing was contentious earlier in the strike at the Spring Hill plant. In late September, a court in Tennessee granted GM's request to prevent UAW picketers from blocking the entrance to the factory.

The order was in effect until Oct. 8. It followed several arrests at the plant since GM's 46,000 UAW workers went on strike.

"After dialogue failed to stop the incidents of harassment, violence and vandalism by a few people, we had to take necessary actions to protect everyone involved," GM said at the time.

The order barred the UAW and its members from blocking entrances, detaining vehicles, creating obstructions on roadways or "assaulting, intimidating, falsely imprisoning, harassing or destroying the property of GM employees" and others at the plant.

Maury County sheriff's deputies in Tennessee had arrested nine protesters on Sept. 18 when they refused to stop blocking the south entrance to the plant. A 10th arrest came when someone drove recklessly through plant's entrance, sheriff's officials said.

At Spring Hill, GM also builds the 6.2L V8 engine that powers Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL and Cadillac Escalade full-size SUVs; as well as the all-new Cadillac 2.0L T, 2020 GMC Acadia 2.0 L T and Chevrolet and GMC 2.7.

Contact Jamie L. LaReau at 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter.

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