UPDATE: Motorcyclist killed in Highway 99 crash was Hughson resident
A motorcyclist died Tuesday morning in a collision with a car and a big rig on Highway 99 in Modesto.
At about 6:50 a.m. a Scion was traveling north in the fast lane and the motorcyclist was riding north in the lane next to it on the right, according to the California Highway Patrol.
For unknown reasons, the Scion and the motorcycle collided just north of Pelandale Avenue. The motorcycle rider was ejected and landed in the slow lane, where he was run over by a big rig.
CHP Officer Tom Olsen said the driver of the big rig, 65-year-old Sergio Zuniga of Merced, braked and turned to the right but could not avoid hitting the motorcyclist.
The motorcyclist rider, a 29-year-old Hughson man, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. CHP Officer Tom Olsen said it is unknown if the Scion driver, 34-year-old Emily Dias of Modesto, had moved to the right to change lanes; if the motorcyclist was splitting lanes or trying to pass her on the right; or if there was some other circumstance.
Neither Dias nor Zuniga were injured.
Everyone involved was utilizing safety equipment and drugs and/or alcohol do not appear to have contributed to the crash, according to the CHP.
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 8:28 AM.
