POLK COUNTY, Ore. — A motorcycle driver is dead after a collision with an 18-wheeler.
The crash happened on Sunday near milepost 27 on Highway 18 in Polk County. The Oregon State Police responded to the incident at 7:07 p.m., according to a release by the OSP.
The OSP’s preliminary investigation indicated an eastbound Freightliner commercial motor vehicle and trailer, operated by Nikita P Sukhodolov, 19, of Salem, Ore., made a left hand turn into a gravel lot and entered the path of a westbound Kawasaki ZX-18 motorcycle, operated by Joseph Nicholas Grammer, 50, of Grand Ronde, Ore. The Kawasaki struck the side of the Freightliner during the collision, according to the release.
Grammer was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Sukhodolov was not injured.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
