A crash between a motorcycle and a van carrying ammunition resulted in a fiery scene Thursday night in northwestern Palm Bay.


The motorcyclist was seriously injured in the wreck, reported just before 10 p.m. on Emerson Drive near the intersection with Lamplighter Drive.


The "motorcyclist may not have been wearing a helmet and suffered significant head trauma," Sgt.Tina Hensel of the Palm Bay Police Department said in a statement.


The crash ruptured a gas tank and ignited a fire. When crews from Palm Bay Fire-Rescue arrived, the van was 25 percent engulfed with flames, fire officials reported. Witnesses heard popping and at least one explosion.


Police officers quickly moved people away from the crash site, but the ammunition didn't pose a significant threat, officials said. Firefighters quickly controlled and extinguished the blaze.


Emerson Drive was shut down east and west of the crash scene for more than two hours as traffic-homicide investigators took measurements and photographs.


According to the investigators, the Ford conversion van was westbound on the two-lane Emerson Drive. Claiming he couldn't see the motorcycle, the van's driver turned left toward Lamplighter Drive and into the path of the eastbound Kawasaki.


The motorcyclist hit the pavement and slid 90 feet with his bike. The motorcycle crashed into the front portion of the van and was dragged underneath it a short distance onto Lamplighter Drive.


Gasoline from the motorcycle caught fire and ignited the van's engine compartment. The van's driver, who had just purchased a few boxes of ammunition at Walmart, wasn't hurt. No one was burned.


Investigators said alcohol and speed were not probable factors in the wreck.


The motorcyclist was airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center. Whether his injuries were life-threatening was not known.

Van carrying ammunition catches fire after crash in Palm Bay | FLORIDA TODAY | floridatoday.com

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Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is like trolling for unprotected hooker nookie in sub-Saharan Africa.