TORONTO -- A motorcycle rider is in life-threatening condition after a collision in Scarborough early Friday morning.

Reports from the scene suggest that a White BMW was pulling out of a gas station on Lawrence Avenue near Markham Road at around 1 a.m. when the westbound motorcycle slammed into its front end.

The force of the impact sent the motorcycle careening off the roadway. The rider, meanwhile, was thrown from the bike. His helmet was ripped off by the force of the impact and was seen sitting on a grassy area alongside the roadway Friday morning.

“I saw a bike coming down the road and a BMW coming the other way and they hit pretty bad,” one witness told CP24 at the scene. “The guy flew down probably 150 feet. His helmet probably went another 100 feet. They took him right away in the ambulance.”

Police have said that they believe speed was a factor in the collision.

Lawrence Avenue is closed from Markham Road to the Cedarbrae Mall entrance as police investigate.