Motorcyclist dies after east Salem collision

Police say a motorcyclist was killed after a driver turned in front of him Sunday afternoon in east Salem.

The motorcyclist, 48-year-old Brian Merrill, was taken to Salem Hospital with critical injuries. He died a day later on Monday, Aug. 7.

Merrill’s death marks the eighth fatal collision investigated this year by the Salem Police Department’s Traffic Team, resulting in nine total deaths, the agency said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

First responders arrived…