A Hilmar man sustained severe injuries when his motorcycle collided with a sport utility vehicle Wednesday night on Lander Avenue.

Michael Silveira suffered injuries to his right leg and was taken by air ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The collision occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on Lander Avenue also known as Highway 165, near the 4th Street intersection.

Silveira was driving a 2014 Harley Davidson Dyna in the center turn lane of the highway. He was passing traffic that had stopped in the northbound lane, said CHP spokesperson Officer Moises Onsurez.

The traffic in the northbound lane had stopped to allow a driver of a 1995 Toyota 4Runner, later identified as Juan Tinajero of Livingston, room to turn left onto the southbound lane of Highway 165. Tinajero was exiting a private driveway, Onsurez said.

As Tinajero made his left turn and passed stopped traffic, Silveira continued in the turn lane passing the stopped northbound traffic, directly into the path of the Toyota 4Runner. Tinajero was unable to avoid a collision and both vehicles collided head on, Onsurez said.

The impact threw Silveira from his motorcycle and caused the severe injury to his right leg. Tinajero did not sustain any injuries as a result of this collision.

Onsurez did not know how fast Silveira was traveling at the time of the collision, but said investigators believed it was at a high rate of speed.

Investigators do not suspect drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision.

The collision remains under investigation.