Man dies in motorcycle accident

Paradise >> A motorcycle rider died after crashing into a sedan Tuesday at the intersection of Clark and Buschmann roads.

Paradise resident Michelle Smith was driving south on Clark Road and happened upon the accident. She saw another woman running to the scene and Smith, a dental hygienist, pulled over to help.

Smith said the anonymous woman was a registered nurse. The two of them pooled their medical knowledge to help the motorcycle driver.

“He was still breathing,” said Smith. “He had a pulse, but it was fading.”

They administered chest compressions to help keep the pulse going, to no avail.

Paradise police hadn’t released the identity of the man by press time. Smith guessed he was in his late teens or early 20s.

Clark Road was closed to traffic in both directions. Buschmann Road was closed as well. The road remained closed for about three hours.

The accident happened just before noon when the motorcycle rider was driving his blue Yamaha south on Clark Road..

Paradise police officer Steve Bertagna said Paradise resident Frank Nolan, 82, exited his driveway and attempted to cross Clark Road to head west on Buschmann Road.

The Yamaha was heading down Clark Road and crashed into the passenger side of Nolan’s Toyota Corolla.

The accident is still under investigation, but preliminarily, Nolan appears to have violated the right of way, Bertagna said.

He said both parties were wearing their safety gear, no drugs or alcohol contributed to the accident and speed did not appear to be a factor.

Still, Bertagna said that is what the preliminary investigation shows, and the investigation will be ongoing.

He said motorcycles are hard to see and stressed the importance of drivers making eye contact with each other and for motorists to be aware of everything around them.

“It’s unfortunate there was a fatality,” he said. “These are always the situations we all fear.”

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Man dies in motorcycle accident