Second fatal motorcycle crash in a week reported by CHP in Merced County

A 43-year-old Merced man died Saturday night after the motorcycle he was riding collided with a pickup truck, according to California Highway Patrol.

It was the second fatal motorcycle collision in Merced County last weekend.

Witnesses told police 29-year-old Merced resident Adrian Araujo was driving a 2004 Dodge Dakota at about 9:30 p.m., pulling a 2006 utility trailer, on Ashby Road west of Trinidade Road, and attempted to back the trailer on a driveway off Ashby Road, according to a news release.

The pickup truck and trailer were perpendicular to the road during the driveway maneuver when a 1984 Honda motorcycle heading west on Ashby Road approached the vehicle at an unknown speed.

The rider apparently failed to notice the truck and collided with the left front fender of the Dodge Dakota, throwing the rider from the bike onto the east lane of Ashby Road, the release states.

The rider, whose identity was pending notification of family Wednesday, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The collision marks the second motorcycle-related fatality in Merced County last weekend.

A 37-year-old Atwater man riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle Friday afternoon died after a collision with a power pole on Highway 140, according to CHP.