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SAN DIEGO (CNS) – A motorcyclist died after being struck by a big rig in the Ocotillo Wells area, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said Thursday.

The rider, a 36-year-old Oceanside man, died at Desert Regional Hospital in Palm Springs, Officer Matthew Baranowski said in a news release. The crash was reported just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at 5841 state Route 78, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The rider, on a KTM EXC-450 motorcycle, stopped on the southbound lane of SR-78, west of Split Mountain Road. At the same time, a 59-year-old man was driving a Kenworth truck, with a propane tank trailer, west on SR-78.

The motorcyclist “failed to observe the approaching vehicle and entered the roadway,” Baranowski said. “As a result, the (motorcyclist) struck the right side of the truck-tractor and was ejected onto the roadway.”

The truck driver was uninjured, Baranowski said, adding that drugs or alcohol are not believed to be a factor in the collision.

Baranowski said the truck driver, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is not facing any charges.

Baranowski said the CHP would not release the identity of the motorcyclist. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office had no further information.

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