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John Zimmerman, 72, original of Lititz but recently of Lancaster, died at the scene of the strike at 2270 Lincoln Highway East at Fairfield Inn, according to the coroner. The strike happened around 4:10 a.m. and Zimmerman was pronounced dead at 4:54 a.m., as dispatchers said and as noted in the coroner's release.
Zimmerman was already dead when first responders arrived, according to LCWC. He was hit in the eastbound lanes and had not been using a crosswalk, the East Lampeter Township Police noted. "The striking vehicle failed to stop and fled the scene," police wrote in a release.
The Lancaster County Coroner's Office was called to send a coroner to the scene. He suffered "significant trauma" and his cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries, the coroner said. The manner of his death is pending further investigation.
The deadly crash happened near multiple tourist attractions in the area like Dutch Wonderland and the Cartoon Network Hotel, as seen on Google Maps.
The highway closed between Millstream Road and Witmer Road, which is the area from the Greenfield Road exit and the intersection of Pleasant Drive, but reopened around 7 a.m., according to PennDOT.
East Lampeter Township Police is investigating.
The police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about the investigation to contact them at (717) 291-4676.
Details about Zimmerman's life, funeral, or a photo of him were unavailable at the time of publishing. His family is invited to share that information by emailing Daily Voice at jpikora@dailyvoice.com.
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