Modesto motorcyclist dies in crash

A Modesto man riding a motorcycle died Tuesday night when he collided with a pickup on Crows Landing Road just outside of Crows Landing, the California Highway Patrol said.

The 56-year-old man, who was wearing a helmet and driving a BMW motorcycle, was pronounced dead at the scene, said CHP officer Marcos Rivera. Officials did not release the man's name because his family had not been notified. Benito Gomez Castillejo, 39, of Ceres was driving the pickup that collided with the motorcycle, Rivera said.

Castillejo was taken by ambulance to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto. The extent of his injuries was not available Tuesday night. Castillejo was not wearing a seat belt, Rivera said. The crash occurred shortly before 6 p.m. at Crows Landing and East Marshall roads, just southwest of the San Joaquin River.

CHP officers were trying to determine which road or roads the vehicles were on and which direction they were heading when they collided. The force of impact left the motorcycle mangled in the middle of Marshall Road, several feet north of Crows Landing Road.

The pickup came to rest on the west side of Marshall, about 50 yards north of Crows Landing. No arrests were made Wednesday night, and there were no indications at the crash that alcohol or drugs were a factor, Rivera said.