Motorcyclist killed in accident near River Park

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A man was killed after his motorcycle collided with another vehicle in north Fresno on Friday.

The incident occurred at Blackstone and Nees, right by the River Park shopping center, at around 4 p.m.

Police said the motorcyclist was in his 50s and was wearing a helmet.

Police cleared the scene after 9 p.m after having it blocked off for hours, but some of the debris and glass was still scattered across the crash scene.

"I was hoping he would be ok, he still had his helmet on," said Brianna Woodsford, who witnessed the accident. "When I saw the news I just started crying."

Woodsford said seconds before the crash, she was startled by how fast the motorcyclist was going.

"He zoomed by, he was going so fast, and I was so surprised that he actually did crash right after that," she said.

Fresno police said the motorcyclist in his 50s was traveling west on Nees approaching Blackstone when his motorbike collided with an SUV that was turning north from Nees into a parking lot.

That driver stayed at the scene.

But the investigation into the accident shut down the intersection for more than four hours, forcing people such as Dominic Farinelli to sit in traffic for an extended amount of time.

"We got off the freeway at like 5.30 and then by the time when got into Macy's it was like 6.20," Farinelli said.

While the name of the motorcyclist has not been released, Woodsford said she is thinking about his family during this difficult time.

"My heart goes out to them and I'm just so sorry for their loss. It's really sad to see someone who was alive 60 seconds ago and then they are just laying there like that," she said.

Fresno police did not say if speed was a factor.