A local motorcyclist is lucky to have sustained only non-life threatening injuries after he put his motorcycle down on Irene Street early in the evening of Aug. 1, rolled off the bike and banged into an incoming vehicle.

Luckily for Scott A. Johnson, 39, the oncoming vehicle, driven by John Dilger, 80, had come to a halt before Johnson ran into it.

Sheriff's deputies said Johnson was passing another eastbound vehicle on Irene as both approached the intersection with David Street.

He realized too late that Dilger's vehicle was rapidly approaching and, apparently unable to complete passing or to brake and pull back into his own lane, put his motorcycle down to avoid a head-on collision.

Dilger, the deputies said, saw Johnson's bike coming toward him and veered off the pavement to avoid a collision.

As the motorcycle and Dilger's vehicle came to a halt, however, Johnson was thrown forward from the bike and struck the left front of Dilger's vehicle.

Johnson was cited for unsafe passing. "The suspect complained of chest pains along with a headache," Deputies David Olson and Thomas O'Donnell reported. He was taken to UMC Trauma in Las Vegas, at which time it appeared that his injuries were not life threatening.