MIDDLESEX TWP — A Beaver Falls man whose motorcycle collided with a car Friday afternoon on Route 8 has been identified as 71-year-old John L. Caldwell.

Township police said Caldwell was driving south when his vehicle collided with a car driven by Elizabeth Kinsman, 68, of Butler, which was turning into a gas station/convenience store parking lot.

The impact threw Caldwell off his Harley Davidson about 50 feet.

Caldwell, a 1961 graduate of Knoch High School, joined the U.S. Navy out of high school and married Maria Buccione in 1978, moving to Beaver Falls.

Butler County Coroner William Young said Caldwell was taken by ambulance to UPMC Passavant Cranberry, where he was pronounced dead. Young said Caldwell died of injuries to his head and body.

Middlesex Township Fire Chief Dave Metz said Caldwell was not wearing a helmet.

The two southbound lanes of Route 8 were closed following the 1:50 p.m. accident.

Charges are pending, according to police.

In addition to Middlesex police, Adams Township police and firefighters from Middlesex and Richland townships also responded to the crash.