A motorcyclist died after reportedly running a red light and being struck by a vehicle on Friday night in south Santa Maria.
Just before 11 p.m., Santa Maria police officers and firefighters were dispatched to a crash on South Broadway at the intersection with McCoy Lane, police Sgt. Michael McGehee said.
The crash occurred when the motorcycle rider, who as traveling south on Broadway at a high speed, failed to stop for a red light, and was struck by a vehicle making a left turn with a green light onto McCoy Lane, McGehee said.
The impact of the collision caused the car to flip onto its side.
The motorcyclist, an adult male, was declared dead at the scene.
His name was withheld pending notification of relatives.
The car’s driver, a juvenile female, was uninjured, McGehee said.
The crash occurred while Santa Maria police conducted a DUI checkpoint on the 1300 block of South Broadway, about two miles north of the collision site.
The checkpoint was scheduled to last from 6 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. but ended earlier when members of the Traffic Bureau were dispatched to the fatal crash, McGehee said.
Before the checkpoint was shut down, six drivers were cited for operating a vehicle unlicensed or with a suspended/revoked license, McGehee said.
This is the second motorcyclist to die in a crash in Santa Maria this year.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.