Anchorage

27-year-old motorcyclist dies in downtown collision with van

TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE:

Police have identified the motorcyclist killed in a collision in downtown Anchorage during the Tuesday evening rush hour as Robert Zachary Firlan, 27.

Police are asking anybody who saw the 6 p.m. collision at Eighth Avenue and C Street -- or believe they saw the vehicles involved before the collision -- to call investigators at 786-8900.

CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A man was killed Tuesday evening after his motorcycle collided with a van in downtown Anchorage, according to police.

Police said the crash was reported at 6:01 p.m. Officers and medics responded to the intersection of West Eighth Avenue and C Street. The man, whom police have not identified, was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, said Jennifer Castro, police spokeswoman.

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Two hours after the 911 call, a black motorcycle lay on its side where the two roads intersect near a Quality Suites hotel. An orange backpack and one black sneaker were scattered among unidentified debris and the van's back left wheel.

Castro said the man had been driving south on C Street, a one-way road. He wore a helmet. The green Chevrolet Astro van was traveling east on West Eighth Avenue. Then, they collided, she said.

The female driving the van was not seriously injured, according to on-scene medics, Castro said.

Police were investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash late Tuesday evening.

This is the second major motorcycle crash in three days. An Anchorage man remained in critical condition Tuesday after he crashed head-on with a car in Palmer late Sunday night.

Anchorage Daily News

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