PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man is dead after his motorcycle struck a car near Stayton, authorities said.
According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, shortly after 10 a.m. on March 25, the Sheriff’s Office received 911 calls reporting a crash near the intersection of Stayton-Scio Road and Cole School Road, near Stayton. One caller reported a motorcycle collided with a vehicle and the driver was in the ditch.
Seventy-two-year-old Steven Murphy of Eagle Creek was found deceased by deputies once they arrived at the scene.
Authorities said Murphy, who was riding a 1983 Yamaha XVZ motorcycle, was going westbound on Stayton-Scio Road and was approaching a slower line of cars. Murphy then went into the oncoming lane in an attempt to pass, but as he passed cars on the left, the lead car started a left turn, according to investigators.
Murphy hit the turning car, a 2007 Audi, which resulted in him being thrown from the motorcycle and “causing life-ending injuries,” the Linn County Sheriff’s Office said.
The driver of the Audi is cooperating fully with the investigation, according to authorities.
Drugs, alcohol, and speed appear not to be factors in the crash, added authorities. Oregon State Police, the Linn County Medical Examiner and the Stayton Fire Department assisted with the crash investigation.