A fatal accident involving a motorcycle shut down the westbound...

A fatal accident involving a motorcycle shut down the westbound Southern State Parkway between exits 17 and exit 18 around 4:30 p.m., Saturday, July 12, 2014. Credit: Lou Minutoli

A motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a van on the Southern State Parkway near West Hempstead on Saturday afternoon, New York State Police said.

The crash occurred at 4:33 p.m., when the motorcyclist crested a hill between Exits 17 and 18 while traveling east and slammed into the back of a van in stop-and-go traffic, police said.

The motorcyclist, whom police did not identify, died at the scene.

Nobody in the van was injured, police said.

Eastbound lanes on the Southern State Parkway were closed for several hours as police investigated the crash.

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