A motorcycle rider has died after being hit by a big rig in the Ocotillo Wells area on Dec. 29.

The crash was reported just after 12:30 p.m. at 5841 state Route 78, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The motorcyclist, an Oceanside man, 36, was transported to Desert Regional Hospital in Palm Springs where he was pronounced dead.

The man was riding a KTM EXC-450 motorcycle when he stopped on the southbound lane of SR-78, west of Split Mountain Road. At the same time, the Kenworth truck with a propane tank trailer, driven by a 59-year-old man, was stopped west on SR-78.

The motorcyclist “failed to observe the approaching vehicle and entered the roadway,” Officer Matthew Baranowski said. “As a result, the (motorcyclist) struck the right side of the truck-tractor and was ejected onto the roadway.”

The truck driver did not suffer any major injuries.

Drugs or alcohol are not believed to be a factor in the collision.

A stretch of state Route 78 was closed as authorities investigated the crash.

The driver, from Albuquerque, New Mexico is not facing any charges. The name of the of the cyclist is being withheld pending family notification.

The San Diego County Fire Department and the Borrego Springs Fire Protection District assisted Cal Fire with the incident.