WASHINGTON (CBSDC) - A beloved and tenured professor at Marymount University is dead after being struck by a car while walking his dog.

When it was first reported that a driver lost control over her vehicle near the Verizon Center fatally striking a pedestrian Monday, the identity of the victim was unclear.

The female driver of the reckless car veered off the road along 6th and D Streets in NW after suffering from a medical emergency, crashed into a tree, and claimed the life of Rhett Leverett, according to 9 News Now.

Leverett – who was out walking his dog before suddenly falling prey to this freak accident – had been a professor at Marymount University in Arlington since 1991. According to the report, he was in his 60′s and had received a doctorate from Catholic University.

The driver was transported to the hospital where her condition is unknown.