Australian photographer Dale Sharpe, acclaimed worldwide for capturing the beauty and power of mother nature, has been killed after a sequence of tragic random events on a Kansas highway.
The 36-year-old from Queensland's Gold Coast was driving just after midnight on Thursday when he hit a deer.
The Kansas Highway Patrol said Mr Sharpe's Nissan Rogue was disabled from the collision and sat in a southbound lane of the K2 highway.
Mr Sharpe got out of the car and took refuge in a ditch beside the highway.
The driver of a Ford Fiesta swerved to miss the Nissan Rogue and drove into the ditch, killing the Australian.
"The driver of Vehicle 1 had gotten out of his vehicle after the collision with the deer and was struck by Vehicle 2," the Kansas Highway report on the crash states.
The driver of the Ford, 45-year-old Ronald Pinkston, was not injured.
Mr Sharpe is survived by his wife Karlie Russell, also a renowned photographer.
The couple travelled the world with their cameras, including chasing storms across America's heartland to capture awe-inspiring images.
Mr Sharpe, an ambassador for Nikon, began photographing 15 years ago when he started out in real estate photography and moved into portraiture and events.
According to his website, he made photography his full time career five years ago when he began to focus heavily on landscapes.
A post on Mr Sharpe's Instagram account, dkphotgraphyau, on Thursday informed "with the deepest regret" his many friends, colleagues and 132,000 followers of his death.
"Dale's vehicle was disabled on the road and he sought safety calling for assistance," the message states.
"The vehicle started to billow smoke from the engine bay and Dale sought refuge on the side of the road.
"A passing motorist avoided colliding with the stranded vehicle at the last moment by leaving the road.
"Dale ran for cover into a ditch, however it's understood the same oncoming vehicle sought refuge in the same direction simultaneously and he was subsequently struck."
