A 21-year-old man has been charged with impaired operation causing death after he allegedly struck and killed a friend in medical distress while attempting to get him help.

Police say that suspect and his 29-year-old friend were consuming drugs in a parked truck on Symons Road south of Baseline Road in Bowmanville at around 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday when the friend suffered a medical episode and became unresponsive.

At that point, police say that the suspect removed his friend from the truck and placed him on the ground while he attempted to revive him using CPR.

The suspect then drove away from the scene to get help and when he returned police say he inadvertently struck his friend, who was still lying on the roadway.

The victim was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries sometime later.

Zachary Pepper, 21, is charged with impaired care and control of a motor vehicle causing death and has been released from police custody on a promise to appear in court at a later date.