BELLINGHAM - A Bellingham motorcyclist was taken to St. Joseph hospital with a leg injury Monday afternoon, Dec. 10, after he crashed into a pickup truck turning left on Mount Baker Highway.

A worker for the state Department of Transportation, Steven D. Miller, 52, was turning a Ford F-350 left into a driveway at 1516 Mount Baker Highway, near Britton Road, when the oncoming biker slammed into the truck at 1:15 p.m., said Washington State Patrol Trooper Mark Francis.

Damage to the truck showed the westbound motorcycle struck it on the passenger side, near where the extended cab connects to the truck bed.

The 24-year-old biker, Michael R. Stoothoff, was screaming in agony from apparent fractures to his leg, but his injuries were not life-threatening, Francis said. He was taken away by ambulance. Nobody else was hurt.

Troopers are investigating who was at fault. Moments before the crash, Francis noted, other drivers saw the biker passing them at high speeds.

Stoothoff was wearing a helmet. His motorcycle, a 1980 Honda CX500D, was totaled. According to the state patrol, he did not have a motorcycle endorsement and could not legally drive the bike.

The two vehicles collided in the middle of a shallow S-curve. Francis said the truck driver was about to set up signs for a roadside mowing project.

Reach CALEB HUTTON at caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2276.