A tow truck operator died early Saturday on Maryland Route 295, also called the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, after being struck by a passing car.

The U.S. Park Police told Washington’s WTOP-FM that the collision happened at 12:47 a.m. while the driver of the tow truck, left unnamed, was loading a car onto the bed of his truck in the southbound lanes.

The driver of the car that hit the tow truck driver stayed at the scene, the U.S. Park Police said, near where Route 295 meets Maryland Route 197. The incident left the southbound lanes of the National Park Service-operated parkway closed for hours.

The Maryland State Highway Administration first posted on social media about the closure at around 1:20 a.m., saying the crash took place near Beaver Dam Road, although the point where the parkway meets Route 197 and where it meets Beaver Dam Road are 2.5 miles apart.

The lanes reopened for traffic at 4:38 a.m., the Maryland State Highway Administration said in an update.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.