A man killed on a busy Fife road on Tuesday night may have been involved in a near miss just minutes earlier.
The pedestrian died after being hit by an Audi car on the A911 between Windygates and Glenrothes.
It is thought he had been walking towards Glenrothes at the time of the tragedy and that he was struck from behind.
Police said he suffered significant injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance staff.
As officers worked to confirm the man’s identity, another driver revealed he had almost collided with a pedestrian on the same road just before the accident at 10.35pm.
Thomas Dittrich from Leven said: “I just missed him.
“He was wearing dark clothes — hard to see if I didn’t put my full beam on when I did.”
Hours later, other motorists reported seeing someone dressed all in black walking along a different stretch of the same road, which is unlit and has no pavement, with many saying it was a “regular occurrence”.
Windygates councillor and Fife Council co-leader David Alexander expressed surprise that someone would be walking along the A911 and offered his condolences to the victim’s family.
“It’s not something I’ve ever seen anyone do but this is a tragedy and my heart goes out to everyone involved,” he said.
Local people also expressed shock at the news, with one describing it as “a truly awful situation”.
The accident happened yards from the Durie Vale Roundabout near Windygates and resulted in the road being closed from the roundabout to the Milton of Balgonie junction for around 11 hours.
Buses between Leven and Glenrothes were diverted via Windygates, where long tailbacks were reported.
Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
Inspector Neil McKenzie said: “Tragically, this collision has resulted in the death of the pedestrian and we are currently working to confirm his identity as well as the full circumstances surrounding this incident.
“Anyone who witnessed what happened or who has information they believe is relevant to our investigation should contact police immediately.”
Anyone who can help should contact Fife’s road policing unit via 101 and quote incident number 4122 of March 6.
