A motorcyclist was reportedly popping wheelies on busy West Yosemite Avenue near the Manteca Marketplace shopping center before slamming into the passenger side of a Dodge Caravan early Monday evening.
The 22-year-old was thrown from his motorcycle and onto a nearby sidewalk after striking the westbound 2000 Dodge Caravan as it was making a left turn from Yosemite Avenue onto Grand Prix Avenue. Manteca Police said the impact spun the van 180 degrees. There were skid marks for some 50 yards before the motorcyclist slammed into the van. The motorcyclist sustained serious injuries.
The impact was so forceful — at an estimated speed of the motorcycle in excess of 50 miles an hour — that the van ended upright and facing toward the shopping center across Yosemite Avenue with its slider side door demolished and its rear window completely blown out. The driver of the van was not injured, police said.
The point of impact of the motorcycle on the van was just short of the rear wheel axel which may have caused more serious injuries to the rider.
Witnesses noted that the motorcycle rider had been popping wheelies while heading east on Yosemite Avenue just before the crash. Medics attended to him on the sidewalk where he ended up before transporting him to the San Joaquin County Hospital Trauma Center. Police noted that while he was seriously injured, the motorcyclist is expected to recover from his injuries. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The motorcycle literally exploded from the impact, with shrapnel reaching the curb across Yosemite Avenue.
The Major Accident Impact Team (MAIT) was called out to perform a full investigation into the crash. The roadway was closed from Union Road on the east to beyond the shopping center on the west as officers set up their technical equipment to measure the scene.
Yosemite Avenue and a nearby cross street were expected to be closed during the investigation for some four to five hours.
To contact Glenn Kahl email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3539.
