A Lewes man was critically injured June 16 after he collided with a truck near Oak Orchard while trying to pass on the right side, police say.

The 58-year-old Lewes man, who was not identified by police, was riding a 1988 Harley Davidson motorcycle at about noon northbound on Oak Orchard Road when he tried to pass a truck pulling a boat trailer on the right side, said Master Cpl. Melissa Jaffe of the Delaware State Police.

The truck was also traveling north on Oak Orchard Road and began to turn right into the entrance of the Oak Orchard Diner at the same time as the motorcycle tried to pass, Jaffe said. The front of the motorcycle struck the right front corner of the truck, ejecting the motorcyclist as the motorcycle fell on its right side, Jaffe said.

The truck came to a controlled stop in the parking lot of the Oak Orchard Diner; the operator of the pickup truck, a 63-year-old man from Wilmington, and his passenger were properly restrained and both were uninjured as a result of this crash. Impairment does not appear to be a factor on behalf of the driver, Jaffe said.

The operator of the motorcycle was not wearing a helmet. He was transported by the Delaware State Police Aviation Unit to Christiana Hospital where he is listed in critical condition, Jaffe said.

Oak Orchard Road in the area of John J. Williams Highway was closed for about two and a half hours while the crash was investigated and cleared.

The crash continues to remain under investigation by the Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit.