A motorcyclist was injured when he flew over his handlebars in a close call along an east London street Wednesday afternoon.

Witnesses say a Honda sport bike was travelling west on Huron Street, just west of Clarke Road, when a black car driving in the opposite direction turned left onto Oakville Avenue shortly before 2 p.m.

The motorcyclist swerved to avoid the car and flew over the handlebars, said Tara Sisson, who lives across the street from the crash scene.

“Then the other car just took off speeding,” she said.

The motorcyclist stood up and walked a few metres before collapsing, Sisson, 29, added.

The man’s white motorcycle had minor damage on its right side.

Tara Piper, one of the first people on the scene, called 911 after seeing the injured motorcyclist on the ground.

“He was awake and breathing,” Piper, 28, said. “He wanted a smoke.”

Paramedics put the man in a neck brace before loading him into an ambulance, witnesses said.

“He said he couldn’t feel his whole right side,” Piper said.

Const. Kimberly Flett confirmed a man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, but she didn’t release any further details.

With four deaths, it has been a deadly summer on London-area roads for motorcyclists.

Most recently, a 52-year-old man died after his motorcycle struck a parked car on Wilkins Street, near Upper Queen Street, on Aug. 6.

dcarruthers@postmedia.com

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