AUBURN – A New Gloucester man was critically injured Friday when the motorcycle he was riding was struck by a truck on Washington Street.

Kenard Griffin, 47, suffered head and other injuries in the 4:30 p.m. wreck. He was being treated late Friday in the intensive care unit at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. His condition was extremely critical, a police officer said.

Police said Griffin was driving his bike southbound on Washington Street when a pickup truck slowed to turn in front of him.

As that truck turned right onto Poland Spring Road, Griffin drove around him, in the southbound passing lane, police said.

At the same time, a northbound utility truck driven by James Brown, 32, of Clinton, was turning left on to Poland Spring Road. Investigators said Brown drove into the path of Griffin’s motorcycle.

“He just did not see the motorcycle coming,” said Auburn police Lt. Tim Condon.

Griffin’s Kawasaki LTD 440 struck the side of Brown’s truck. Griffin was thrown roughly 15 feet from his bike after the vehicles collided.

Police said Griffin was wearing a helmet when he crashed, but he suffered severe head injuries in the wreck. When the crash was first reported, Griffin was said to be breathing but suffering a seizure. Minutes later, rescue crews were told that he had stopped breathing.

He was taken to the Lewiston hospital while police diverted traffic around the scene. Southbound drivers were steered onto Poland Spring Road, where they looped around the crash scene back to Washington Street.

Auburn police officers gathered evidence and witness statements while waiting for Maine State Police to come assist with a crash reconstruction. No charges are expected, police said.

Griffin, who lives on Durham Road in New Gloucester, has not been riding a motorcycle very long, police said.

Brown was driving the utility truck for Pike Industries out of New Hampshire. He was not hurt in the crash.