A Philadelphia man was struck and killed by a passing vehicle Monday as he changed a tire on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Lancaster County.

Khalil Peterson was pronounced dead at the scene of the 6:20 a.m. crash that happened on the westbound side of the turnpike in Brecknock Township, police said.

Peterson had pulled his Mitsubishi onto the shoulder at milepost 289 to change a flat tire prior to being struck by a Toyota Camry, police said.

William Burke, 55 of Chester County, was driving the Camry in the right lane at the time of the collision, according to police.

Peterson rolled onto the car's hood and windshield after the initial impact, investigators said. Lancaster County deputy coroner Stephen Glen pronounced the man dead at 8:12 a.m.

As of Monday night, Burke hadn't been charged with a crime. According to state police Trooper Mark Kosh, the investigation is "open."

Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo said Monday's accident, while tragic, is far from the first such incident.

He said, statewide, there are at least one or two motorists who die each year after stepping out of their disabled vehicles onto the turnpike.

"This is not an uncommon occurrence," DeFebo said. "Getting outside of the car is a really bad idea. Traffic is moving by at a 55- to 65-mph minimum.

"It is literally a recipe for disaster."

DeFebo said motorists should think twice before changing a tire on the turnpike.

He said motorists who insist on doing the job without assistance should try to "limp onto" wider shoulders of the turnpike, designated for such emergencies.

"If you see one of those areas just ahead or behind, I would try to head for it," he said.

"Pull as far off the road as humanly possible — that's of critical importance."

In Peterson's case, he pulled over onto a normal shoulder, which is about 10 feet wide, officials said.

He was struck sometime after exiting his car, investigators said.

Police are investigating how far along Peterson was with changing the tire and if he was in a lane of travel when he was struck.

"It's a very dicey situation to try to change a tire close to the white line," DeFebo said.

Peterson is the first person to die in a turnpike accident in Lancaster County in more than a year, according to officials and newspaper archives. On June 23, 2007, three New Jersey residents were killed in a chain-reaction crash in Penn Township.

The victims were waiting in traffic, en route to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair, when their car was struck from behind and burst into flames.

Anyone who witnessed the Monday morning crash should contact state police in Bowmansville at 445-6716.

E-mail: bhambright@lnpnews.com