A woman is dead after being struck by a vehicle on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Hamilton Thursday evening.

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said it happened on the highway near Centennial Parkway just before 7 p.m.

Schmidt said there was a minor collision and one of the drivers involved, a 24-year-old woman from Stoney Creek, exited her car to speak to the other driver.

He said a third vehicle then came from behind and swerved to avoid the crash scene, fatally striking the woman that was out on the highway.

“This is certainly a very tragic outcome and very tragic situation here,” Schmidt said.

He noted that snow was coming down at the time and road conditions were poor, which played a factor in the crash.

Police have closed all Niagara-bound lanes and two Toronto-bound lanes of the QEW between Nikola Tesla Boulevard and Centennial Parkway for the investigation.

Schmidt said he expects that the closures will last for several hours.

Hamilton is under a snowfall warning, with heavy snow expected this evening through Friday morning.

Environment Canada said the city could see snowfall amounts of 15 to 20 centimetres.