An Australian man and his guide dog have died after being hit by a car near Melbourne.
Raymond Meadows, 63, and his companion both died at the scene. There were no street lights and they weren't seen by the driver, police said.
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AAP reports Meadows liked to walk to the gym with his dog, and was known as an active person.
On Sunday morning, they were walking their normal route down the Calder Highway when the incident occurred.
A statement from Victoria Police said a man aged in his 20s was driving the car which hit the pair.
Snr Const Paul Nicoll, of the Campaspe Highway Patrol, told the Herald Sun the incident happened close to the front of Meadows' house. He had only had the guide dog for a short period, local news source The Bendigo Advertiser reports.
According to VisionAware, a common misconception is blind people can use a guide dog to travel safely and independently, and assume the dog shows the person where to go.
"This is not true," VisionAware says. "The person who is blind or has low vision directs the dog; the function and purpose of the dog is to merely guide the person around obstacles and indicate the location of steps and curbs."
The incident brings Victoria's 2019 road toll to 139.
Newshub.
