Activist walking barefoot across US is fatally struck by SUV

Associated Press

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (AP) — A Maine native walking barefoot across the U.S. to raise awareness about climate change has been struck and killed on a Florida highway.

Police say 33-year-old Mark Baumer was walking along the shoulder of U.S. Highway 90 in Walton County on Sunday when a driver lost control and hit him. Baumer was pronounced dead at the scene.

Baumer was also raising money for a Rhode Island nonprofit group called the FANG Collective that opposes the natural gas industry. FANG stands for Fighting Against Natural Gas.

The group wrote on Facebook that Baumer was a "talented poet and artist with an ability to tap into the human experience with his work."

Baumer had raised more than $14,000 since starting Oct. 13.

Police say the SUV driver will face charges.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Baumer is a native of Maine, not Rhode Island.