13 WTHR IndianapolisMotorcycle crash kills Indiana fire chief

Motorcycle crash kills Indiana fire chief

Updated:

Portland - Authorities say an eastern Indiana city's fire chief died over the weekend after his motorcycle was hit by a car.

Police say a car pulling out from a Walmart parking lot hit Portland Fire Chief Matt Aker's motorcycle as he drove past another vehicle. The car's driver told officers she didn't see the motorcycle.

The 34-year-old Aker suffered head and internal injuries and was pronounced dead at a Fort Wayne hospital, where he was taken after Saturday's crash in the city about 30 miles northeast of Muncie.

Aker had been a Portland firefighter since 1997 and chief since 2005.

Area homeland security task force commander Shannon Henry tells The Star Press that Aker dedicated his life to serving the public.

(Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)