PORT ANGELES — An autopsy will be conducted today on a 70-year-old motorcycle rider who was conscious and calm following a mid-day Sunday wreck and died on his way to the hospital.

“In this case, we have some questions regarding medically what happened, so the forensic pathologist should be able to fill in the blanks on that front,” Mark Nichols, Clallam County prosecuting attorney-coroner, said Monday.

“There are medical uncertainties surrounding the cause of death.”

Claude W. Dotson of Port Angeles was four days away from his birthday at about 1 p.m. Sunday when he was coming out of a curve while riding west on Elwha River Road when he tried to avoid a car turning onto Crown Z Water Road, Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. Randy Pieper said in a press release.

“He was just starting to straighten out a little bit right before Crown Z Road,” Pieper said Monday.

“He tried to brake and started to yaw back and forth and at some point the bike went down and he slid on pavement.”

Dotson’s 650cc Kawasaki slid 88½ feet on the road before it came to a stop with the motorcycle on top of him, the lower half of his body under the motorcycle, Pieper said.

The car occupants, who were not injured, lifted the Kawasaki off of Dotson and secured it on its kickstand.

The motorcycle was not seriously damaged and started up, Pieper said.

“They had him lie still until medics arrived,” Pieper said.

“We could tell he had some abrasions and stuff from sliding on the road, but as far as any internal injuries, no.

“He had scrapes on legs and complained his head hurt and other than that he was calm.”

Clallam County Fire District No. 2 medics and Olympic Ambulance responded to the wreck and transported Dotson to Olympic Medical Center, about 7½-8 miles from the crash site.

Dotson became unresponsive, CPR was performed and he was declared deceased upon arrival at the hospital at 1:45 p.m., about 45 minutes after Dotson’s motorcycle went down, Pieper said.

Dotson was wearing a helmet, a leather coat and jeans, Pieper said.

Dotson’s helmet was on when his motorcycle was lifted off him, Pieper said.

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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@ peninsuladailynews.com.