Motorcycle Rider Dies After Yakima Crash

A 73-year-old man died in a motorcycle crash in Yakima Saturday. Yakima Police say the man was riding eastbound in the 1400 block of West Lincoln Avenue when a delivery vehicle stopped in front of him.

Witnesses say the man crashed while trying to change lanes

Witnesses told police they watched the rider slow down and attempt to change lanes to go around the stopped delivery vehicle. As the rider started to change lanes he struck the side of a passing car which caused the crash. The 73-year-old rider lost his balance while crashing into the delivery van.

The man was alert when taken to a hospital but died shortly after arriving

The man was conscious and alert at the time first responders transported him to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. But hospital officials say when he arrived at the hospital his condition quickly deteriorated and he later died. The man has not been identified.
A press release from the Yakima Police Department says "the contributing factor of the collision was the rider’s failure to yield the right of way when making a lane change."
The other driver was not cited or injured. Yakima Police are hoping to speak to more witnesses about the crash.

Yakima Police are hoping to talk with you if you were a witness

Yakima Police Department’s Traffic Unit is investigating the incident, and requests that any witnesses to the collision or video that captured the collision, please contact YPD Officer Jim Yates at (509) 728-6449.