Motorcycle rider killed in Merced County crash identified by coroner

The Merced County Sheriff Coroner’s Office has identified a man killed in a motorcycle collision south of Hilmar on Saturday as 19-year-old Oscar Abundio Estrada Valenica of Manteca according to Merced County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Michelle Oliver.

California Highway Patrol officers responded to the collision just before 9 a.m. Saturday in the area of Highway 165 and Turner Avenue. Authorities said the man was riding a 2000 Yamaha motorcycle south on Highway 165 and appeared to leave the roadway while attempting to negotiate a curve.

The man laid the motorcycle down before colliding with a wooden pole. The CHP said the man was wearing a helmet and was pronounced dead at the scene.