Michael Strom, 47, killed in motorcycle crash in West Springfield on July 29.

A 47-year-old man from Farmington, Conn. was killed Tuesday night when he clipped the back of a car in the Memorial Bridge rotary, lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a guardrail, police said. The motorcycle operator, identified as Michael Strom, was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield following the accident, said West Springfield Capt. Daniel Spaulding. Investigators have determined that Strom was operating west on the Memorial Bridge toward West Springfield. As he approached the rotary, Strom apparently failed to yield to oncoming traffic already inside the rotary, Spaulding said. His motorcycle, a Harley Davidson Road King, made contact with the rear of a car and went off the road into the guardrail on the inside of the rotary, Spaulding said. Strom suffered severe head injuries in the accident, he said. Investigators have not yet determined if speed was a factor. The state Medical Examiner is scheduled to perform an autopsy to determine if any other factors contributed to the accident, Spaulding said. The accident forced the police to shut down the rotary, which links Memorial Avenue and Route 5, as well as traffic in both directions on the Memorial Bridge for several hours. The accident happened shortly before 8:30 p.m.