Motorcyclist Killed as He Strikes Van

WESTMINSTER — A motorcycle rider was killed instantly Saturday when he struck a van that was making a turn at a major intersection, police said.

Westminster Police Sgt. Dwight Moore said the rider, described only as a 39-year-old man from Huntington Beach, was killed when he was thrown head first against the side of the van. Moore said the rider--whose name was withheld because his family had not been notified--was not wearing a helmet. The motorcycle caught fire when its gas tank ruptured, police said.

Moore said the 79-year-old driver of the van, identified as Albert Hall of Torrance, was turning against a red arrow when the accident happened. Hall and another passenger in the van were not injured and police continued to investigate the accident.