US man sporting batman costume to cheer up sick children killed

Washington: A man known for dressing up in a Batman superhero costume to cheer up sick children in hospital was struck and killed on a US highway after his "Batmobile" broke down, reports said.

Lenny Robinson, 51, had got out of his Lamborghini, customised to resemble the Caped Crusader's "Batmobile", on an unlit stretch of highway in Maryland Sunday night to check the engine when it was struck by another vehicle, slamming the car into him.

He died at the scene, The Washington Post said.

Robinson, who lived in Maryland and was a father of three boys, worked in the cleaning business before buying an elaborate batman costume and car, The Post reported.

He spent his free time striding into hospitals across the state, northwest of Washington, to visit sick children and hand out gifts.

Robinson became an Internet sensation in 2012 after police footage of him being pulled over in full costume for his Batman license plates went viral.

Asked why children so loved his character, he said, "Batman is the only superhero that doesn't have superpowers.

"He's naturally a superhero. Kids can relate to me a lot better."

His grieving brother Scott told The Post, "He was my brother, my business partner, my best friend."

"He touched a lot of lives and made a lot of kids smile. That's all he wanted to do."