POLK COUNTY, Ore. — A motorcyclist died Sunday evening in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 18 in Polk County, Oregon State Police said in a news release.
Joseph Nicholas Grammer, 50, of Grand Ronde was pronounced dead at the scene after his Kawasaki ZX-18 motorcycle collided with a Freightliner commercial truck near milepost 27 at 7:07 p.m.
Police said the Freightliner, operated by a 19-year-old Salem man, was traveling eastbound when it made a left turn into a gravel lot. The truck entered the path of Grammer’s westbound motorcycle, which struck the side of the truck.
The truck driver was not injured in the crash.
The highway remained closed for approximately three hours during the investigation. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office assisted Oregon State Police at the scene.