PRINEVILLE, Ore. – A Prineville Police officer witnessed the 71-year-old priest at Prineville's St. Joseph's Catholic Church being struck by a pickup truck and seriously injured in a crosswalk Saturday morning. Officers say the glare of the sun may have been a factor in the crash.

The officer saw the collision occur around 8:45 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of North Main Street and Northeast Seventh Street, Lieutenant Thomas Vollmer said in a news release Tuesday.

The man was walking south along Main Street and was crossing Seventh Street in the crosswalk when he was struck by a southbound pickup turning left (east) onto Seventh Street, Vollmer said.

The pedestrian sustained serious injuries and was flown by air ambulance to St. Charles Bend, initially in critical condition.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Prineville posted updates on its public Facebook page about Father Joseph Kunnelaya, who was born and raised in India. He was appointed as associate pastor of Bend's St. Francis of Assisi parish in 2013 and was appointed pastor of St. Joseph 10 years ago Tuesday, on October 6th, 2016.

The church asked for prayers, saying Father Joseph was struck while out for his morning walk, but was "conscious and in good spirits." An update posted Monday said Kunnelaya  had surgery on his injured left leg Sunday afternoon "and came through that very well and had a restful night. Doctors are hopeful that he can move out of ICU soon."

"Please continue to pray for him, his family and all the doctors, nurses and medical staff taking such good care of him," they added.

And indeed, an update posted later Tuesday by the church let everyone know the "great news!" -- that he was out of intensive care.

The driver stayed at the scene and cooperated in the investigation, Vollmer said, adding that “officers found no indication that impairment was a factor in the crash.”

“Investigators also determined that sun glare and other environmental conditions may have affected the driver’s visibility and contributed to the collision,” he said, later explaining busy traffic was one of those conditions.

“The Prineville Police Department would like to thank the Crook County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this investigation,” Vollmer added.