The deceased was identified by the Porter County coroner's office as 32-year-old Justin Barnes, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A motorcyclist riding just ahead of Barnes told police the pair were riding southbound on Ind. 49 after having left the Denny's restaurant in Portage and were turning south on to North Calumet Road about 7:30 p.m., police said.
The other motorcyclist said he saw the collision with Barnes in his rear view mirrors and returned to attempt resuscitation.
The 76-year-old driver of the SUV who collide with Barnes told police he was driving northbound on North Calumet Road at 42 mph toward his Chesterton home when Barnes' motorcycle veered into his lane, police said. The driver said he could not avoid the head-on collision.
The driver of the SUV was found to have no intoxicants in his system, and his wife, who was a passenger, was taken to the hospital for back pain, police said.
Police said they were told an autopsy would be done to determine if there were any intoxicants in Barnes' system. The other motorcyclist told police he was not aware of Barnes consuming any alcohol or drugs.
Source: NWI Times