Anchorage, AL :Motorcyclist dies following Monday crash near Whittier on Monday, July 6th 2015

Alaska State Troopers say a motorcyclist died Monday night after a crash on the Portage Highway near Whittier.According to AST spokeswoman Beth Ipsen, the motorcyclist sustained severe injuries and was taken to an Anchorage hospital, but died there despite treatment.“It was a single motorcycle crash along the Portage Highway that resulted in a single fatality of the operator,” Ipsen wrote. “This happened in the short tunnel by the visitors center.”Dispatchers in Soldotna were informed shortly before 5:15 p.m. Monday about the male motorcyclist seriously injured in the crash, near Mile 5.5 of the Portage Highway. His identity is being withheld until his next of kin are notified, according to a Tuesday AST dispatch.“Girdwood AST, Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel Fire Department, Whittier Police, Girdwood Fire Department and LifeMed Alaska responded to the scene,” troopers wrote. “LifeMed transported the motorcyclist by helicopter to an Anchorage hospital where he was pronounced deceased at (7:23 p.m.).”Neither alcohol nor drugs appear to be factors in the crash.“The investigation indicates the motorcycle, a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja, was negotiating a left-hand curve inside a small tunnel at mile 5.5 of the Portage Highway near the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center,” troopers wrote. “The motorcycle drove off the right-hand side of the roadway and impacted the tunnel wall.”Ipsen said the Portage Highway was closed for about two hours by the crash, but the closure didn't affect the Seward Highway.

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Motorcyclist dies following Monday crash near Whittier