A motorcyclist was killed Monday afternoon in a crash near Santa Barbara City College, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.

The accident occurred at about 4 p.m. on the 700 block of Cliff Drive, near the SBCC main entrance, said Anthony Wagner, a police spokesman.

The motorcyclist was eastbound in the right-hand lane when a BMW made a right turn onto Cliff, pulling out from City College, Wagner said.

The motorcycle rider, whose name was not released, attempted to avoid the BMW by moving into the left-hand lane, Wagner said, but that driver also tried to avoid a collision by moving toward the left lane.

At that point, the rider began to fishtail, and attempted to lay down the motorcycle, Wagner said, but was ejected and landed hard in the roadway, suffering major traumatic injuries.

Initially police indicated there had been a collision, but Wagner said the motorcycle never struck the BMW.

The BMW driver's name was not released.

Two bystanders, an off-duty EMT and a nurse, went immediately to the male victim's aid, but he was declared dead a the scene, Wagner said.

A police accident reconstruction team responded to investigate the collision, Wagner said.

"We are investigating speed as a possible factor in the crash," Wagner said.

The motorcycle involved is a Yamaha GYTR-R1, a high-performance bike developed primarily for racing.

Cliff Drive was shut down in both directions near the accident scene immediately after the crash, and was expected to remain closed until about 9:30 p.m.

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