LAKE ELSINORE – A 60-year-old motorcyclist killed in a crash on the Ortega (74) Highway just west of Lake Elsinore lost control of his bike at a bend in the road, plowing into a hillside, authorities said today.
The fatality occurred about 12:15 p.m. Saturday on the eastbound 74, near Monte Vista Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Mike Lassig said the rider, identified only as a Lake Elsinore man, was traveling aboard his 2003 Honda RC51 at an excessive speed when he encountered a curve on the two-lane corridor, which traverses the Cleveland National Forest.
“He was unable to negotiate the curve (and) … the Honda veered to the left, across the westbound traffic lane onto the right shoulder of 74, where he rode up an embankment,” Lassig said. “He was ejected from the Honda and collided into the embankment. The Honda continued in an easterly direction on the right shoulder, where it collided into trees.”
Riverside County Fire Department paramedics reached the location a short time later, arranging for the victim to be airlifted to nearby Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where he died hours later.
It was unknown whether alcohol or drugs might have been factors in the crash, which remained under investigation.
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