A 19-year-old male motorcyclist has been confirmed by police as the thirteenth road fatality of the year.

The rider was seriously injured after colliding with a car at about 11.35am on Thursday by the junction of South Road and Harbour View Drive in Southampton.

A police spokesman said both vehicles had been travelling in the westbound lane of South Road when the crash occurred. The 67-year old male driver of the car was believed to be unhurt.

The spokesman said: “Despite life-saving efforts at the scene, and being rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital via ambulance, an on-call doctor later pronounced the teen dead at the hospital.”

Traffic had to be diverted for about two hours while the collision scene was processed.

Police said a family liaison officer was assisting the young man’s next of kin, while an investigation into the crash continues.

Any witnesses that have not already come forward were urged to contact Pc James Adams by calling 211, or by e-mailing jadams@bps.bm, as soon as possible.

It came after police last month revised the figure for the island’s road deaths this year.

The death of a 62-year-old male motorcyclist following a single-vehicle crash on July 25 in Southampton, which had brought the road fatalities of 2026 to 13, was subsequently determined to be the result of a medical incident, taking the number to 12.

Police and the Government acknowledged last month that the toll of deaths and serious injuries on Bermuda’s roads this year were well above the island’s historical average of 12 fatalities annually.

The island’s previous fatal crash was recorded after a 63-year-old female visitor from the US died following a collision between her rental scooter and a car on August 11 at Middle Road in Southampton, near the junction with Industrial Park Road.