HARTFORD, Conn. (October 8, 2012)--An 83-year-old Maryland man fell 35 feet off an elevated highway in Connecticut and died while trying to help a driver whose SUV had rolled over, Connecticut State Police said.

Troopers say Richard Herron, of Elkton, Md., jumped over the center median of Interstate 84 in Hartford early Monday morning to avoid a tractor-trailer that was nearing the accident scene.

Police said Herron probably didn't realize there was a steep drop.

He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities say the SUV's driver, Sheila Jenkins, 45, of Hartford, was traveling too fast around a curve on the wet highway and lost control of her vehicle at about 3 a.m.

State police say she was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

The accident and Herron's fall are both under investigation.