SALIDA – A crash involving a motorcycle ejected the rider, throwing him over the bridge at the county line on Highway 99 Monday night.
At about 9:44pm emergency crews were dispatched to the bridge over the Stanislaus River on southbound Highway 99. California Highway Patrol Officers, deputies with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters from several agencies responded to the scene.
According to a motorist who witnessed the crash, she and her husband were traveling south when they saw the rider approaching their pickup at high speeds.
“He had to be doing about 120,” she said. “He must have realized he was going to hit us and just laid his bike down. He saved us.”
The motorcyclist was ejected and thrown over the west side of the bridge. The two occupants of the pickup pulled over just north of the Hammett Avenue exit and called 911.
Fearing the motorcyclist may have landed in the river, resources were starting to begin a search. The Modesto Police Department responded with a drone and after about 15 minutes of searching, the rider was located on the north bank of the river.
Medical personnel rushed to the rider’s location and began performing CPR. Despite life saving efforts, the rider later died from his injuries.
Two lanes of Highway 99 were closed while officers investigated the collision, backing traffic up into Ripon.
