A man who helped design a winning electric motorcycle died in a motorcycle accident in Santa Rosa, California yesterday.

Considered by friends and neighbors as the ‘local electric motorcycle entrepreneur’ Matthew Dieckmann, 29, was killed at 10.40 a.m. Monday in a crash with a 71 year old driver. Ironically, he was riding an electric motorcycle and Gilbert Dorame was driving a silver Toyota Prius.

According to investigators witnesses reported that the light was green for both drivers as they approached the intersection from opposite directions.

Two conflicting reasons for the accident are surfacing from local news organizations. While some are reporting Dieckmann was killed as he made a left hand turn into the intersection and crashed into the passenger side of the Prius, others are stating Dorame turned into the path of the motorcycle.

Dieckmann died at the scene.

The intersection was closed for five hours after the accident and investigators are still determining who may have been at fault in the collision.

Family members say Dieckmann was riding an electric motorcycle that he was developing for his business, Electric Race Bikes.

He was no stranger to the latest technology in motorcycle racing with one of his motorcycles, called the EGP, helping a professional rider win third place at a TTXGP competition in May. The zero-carbon, clean-emission motorcycle race was held at Infineon Raceway.