A motorcyclist who was killed when his bike collided with a construction tractor crossing an intersection in Winchester was identified Friday as a 67-year-old Hemet man.
Walter Sallman was fatally injured shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday at Leon Road and Domenigoni Parkway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Jonathan Torres said that Sallman was going eastbound on Domenigoni aboard his Yamaha V-Star at an unconfirmed speed when a 31-year-old man at the wheel of a John Deere tractor performing construction work near the location crossed from north to south via Leon.
“For reasons still under investigation, the driver of the Yamaha collided with the tractor,” Torres said. “Due to the impact, the rider was thrown off the motorcycle, and he came to rest within the intersection.”
Riverside County Fire Department paramedics reached the location minutes later and pronounced Sallman dead at the scene.
The tractor driver, whose name wasn’t disclosed, did not require medical attention.
The intersection was partially shut down as a result of the collision.
It was still unclear who had the right of way at the time. The intersection is controlled by traffic lights.
An autopsy was pending on the victim Friday. Torres said it remained “unknown if alcohol or drugs may have been a contributing factor” in the collision.
The tractor operator was questioned but not arrested.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the San Gorgonio Pass CHP office at 951-846-5300.