Activist Mark Baumer walking barefoot across US is fatally struck by SUV

A Maine resident walking barefoot throughout the U.S. to raise awareness about climate change has been hit 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 motorist lost control and struck him. Baumer was pronounced dead at the scene.

Baumer was likewise raising money for a Rhode Island nonprofit group named the Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG) Collective that opposes the natural gas industry.

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

Mark Baumer had raised over $14,000 since October 13.

Police stated the SUV driver will face charges.