A fatal road incident west of Dargaville is being described as a devastating loss of life

A 21-year-old man is dead, after being hit by a car just after six o'clock last night.

The man had been seen walking along the centre of Bayley's Coast Road swinging a pipe.

A member of the public and several Police officers tried to talk to the man, before he walked into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

Kaipara Mayor Jason Smith says it's a tragic death.

He says his heart goes out to everyone involved in this incident, and their whanau.