LITCHFIELD - Illinois State Police say a motorcycle trooper is dead after being hit by a passing tractor-trailer during a freeway traffic stop in southern Illinois.

State Police say 32-year-old Trooper Kyle Deatherage died at the scene of the accident shortly after 9 a.m. Monday along Interstate 55 near Litchfield. State Police Director Hiram Grau said Deatherage was a married father of two children and had been a trooper since May 2009.

There was no immediate word on any charges.

Litchfield is located 45 miles south of Springfield.