In the news...

[sandiegoland]

Here a motorcycle started a brush fire...

Motorcycle blamed for 25-acre blaze

UNION-TRIBUNE
October 31, 2005

BARRETT JUNCTION – A motorcycle that went off the road apparently sparked a fire that grew to more than 25 acres yesterday afternoon and forced the partial closure of state Route 94 while crews tried to contain the blaze.

The fire was doused by about 50 firefighters, and eight engines responded to the fire, which started at about 12:30 p.m.

Police said the motorcycle rider was not injured but the bike was destroyed.


======================
Also, sounds like Banner Grade...

Motorcycle crash kills Marine, 28

UNION-TRIBUNE
September 19, 2005

JULIAN – A 28-year-old man was killed yesterday morning when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed on a winding mountain road.

The accident occurred about noon on state Route 78 east of Wynola Road, authorities said.

The Medical Examiner's Office was withholding the name of the victim, an active-duty Marine, until his family could be notified.

[sandiegoland]

This wasn't in our area, but the last line struck me as funny wording...

Woman on motorcycle collides with bear

ASSOCIATED PRESS
6:26 p.m. October 12, 2005

JAMESTOWN – A woman suffered a broken collarbone after she collided with a 250-pound bear.
California Highway Patrol officers said 38-year-old Diana Nichols, of Dunlap, was going about 50-to-65 mph on her motorcycle on Highway 108 near Jamestown when she struck the bear on Monday afternoon. Nichols tried to brake but the bear ran into her path, flipping the bike.

Nichols was airlifted to a hospital in Modesto, where she was treated and released.

Officers believe late-afternoon shadows may have obscured the black bear, which become increasingly active in fall.

The bear fled the scene after the collision.

[sandiegoland]

Motorcyclist killed in three-way crash on Route 54

By Gregory Alan Gross
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM

1:12 p.m. September 30, 2005

NATIONAL CITY – A motorcycle rider was killed Friday morning and another motorist was injured in a three-way collision on state Route 54 near Reo Drive, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Officers are looking for a fourth vehicle whose driver may have set the deadly crash into motion, said CHP Officer Jay Cate.

Investigators believe the sequence of events began shortly before 9 a.m. when the driver of a car on the right shoulder of westbound 54 began moving back onto the traffic lanes.

The driver pulled out into the path of a Toyota Supra, Cate said.

"The driver already in the lane sees this, brakes and swerves to the left to avoid him," the officer said

That sent the Supra spinning into the path of a Chrysler Town & Country minivan, which also swerved in a futile attempt to miss the Supra, Cate said.

As the car and the minivan collided, the motorcycle rode up. Its rider cut to the right, trying to escape the crash in front of him.

He almost made it.

"It looks like he caught the right rear bumper of the Chrysler," Cate said. "He was ejected and his body was thrown against the back of the van."

The motorcyclist was rushed to a hospital, but died soon after arrival. The van driver was taken to a hospital for cuts on his arm and other complaints of pain. The Supra driver was not seriously injured, Cate said. None of the three vehicles was carrying passengers, the officer said.

The identity of the motorcycle rider was withheld until his family can be notified of his death.

Meanwhile, the driver whose attempt to merge onto the freeway may have triggered the crash drove away and officers are looking for him, Cate said. However, they have no description of the vehicle other than its color: red.

Officers are hoping that witnesses who saw what happened or can describe the red vehicle in more detail will come forward. They asked anyone with information on the crash to call the Highway Patrol at (619) 220-5492.

[sandiegoland]

This was near my house...

Dontia Haynes, 23, was nationally ranked in '04
UNION-TRIBUNE
September 25, 2005

Former San Diego State tennis player Dontia Haynes died Friday from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident, San Diego Police said.

Haynes, 23, who helped lead SDSU to the Mountain West Conference championship last spring and to a berth in the NCAA tournament, was traveling eastbound on El Cajon Boulevard near 54th Street about 1 p.m. when a sports utility vehicle exited a strip mall parking lot and the motorcycle struck the driver's side, officials said.

Haynes sustained head injuries, police officials said. He died later at Scripps Mercy Hospital, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.

The investigation also concluded he was speeding, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.

"Dontia had a bigger-than-life personality that touched all our lives deeply," SDSU tennis coach Gene Carswell said yesterday in a statement.

Haynes had been ranked among the top 100 collegiate players in the country last season.

A native of Bellflower and a member of the SDSU tennis team the past two seasons, Haynes had completed his athletic eligibility and was on schedule to complete a degree in psychology next spring, an SDSU spokesman said.

[sandiegoland]

October 26, 2005

Biker Hospitalized; Wild Turkey Hit Him

KENTWOOD IN THE PINES – An wild turkey flew into a motorcyclist on state Route 79 yesterday.

Two turkeys were walking across southbound Route 79 near Royal Drive about 11:15 a.m., said Officer Brian Pennings of the California Highway Patrol.

One turkey began to fly and struck a southbound motorcyclist in the chest. The impact caused the rider of the 2001 Harley Davidson Softail to cross into the northbound lanes and go into an embankment.

The 56-year-old man hit a manzanita bush and rolled over twice. He was thrown from the motorcycle and suffered abrasions to the right side of his face and complained of back and chest pain, Pennings said.

He was flown by Mercy Air to an area hospital and was in serious condition.

The turkey that hit the man died, Pennings said.

The fate of the second turkey wasn't known.

[SpeedStar]

Craig, are you interviewing with KUSI for a field reporter? :D
"Next in moto news we have..." :wink:

[sandiegoland]

Craig, are you interviewing with KUSI for a field reporter? :D
"Next in moto news we have..." :wink:
I was just poking around looking for some info on that GS rear-end you mentioned. Then I found the bear, and the turkey... :P

[SpeedStar]

Anything on Tom Mooney's accident?

[sandiegoland]

Anything on Tom Mooney's accident?
Nothing found.

Big-rig, motorcycle collide; rider dies

December 22, 2005

BORREGO SPRINGS – A big-rig creeping up a steep grade on Montezuma Valley Road slammed head-on into a motorcyclist yesterday, killing the rider, the California Highway Patrol said.

Authorities withheld the name of the 55-year-old man who was killed because his family hadn't been notified.

A second biker swerved away from the semi and crashed his Harley-Davidson just west of Palm Canyon Road about 11 a.m. The second rider, a friend of the man killed, wasn't hurt, CHP Officer Brian Pennings said. Both riders were wearing helmets.

The trucker, a 46-year-old San Bernardino man, was hauling palm trees up Montezuma Grade at about 12 mph and said he didn't cross into the eastbound lanes. Witnesses and physical evidence such as the point of impact and skid marks suggest otherwise, Pennings said.

He was cited for driving a tractor-trailer combination longer than 65 feet, the maximum allowed under state law. The rig was 68 feet long, but Pennings said that violation didn't play a role in the crash.

The CHP was still investigating the cause of the crash and had not ruled out criminal charges, Pennings said. – Brian Hazle

[sandiegoland]

Woman Flees On Foot After Fatal Accident
Motorcyclist Killed

SAN DIEGO -- A search is under way for a woman who fled the scene of a fatal, head-on collision with a motorcycle rider near San Pasqual Wednesday, 10News reported.

The suspect was driving a Dodge pickup truck that apparently veered into oncoming traffic and hit the motorcyclist head-on around 5:15 a.m. near San Pasqual Valley Road/state Route 78 and Cloverdale Road, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Bettencourt.

The woman, whose name was withheld, was last seen walking west along state Route 78, he added.

The name of the motorcycle rider was not immediately available.

Authorities closed the eastbound and westbound lanes of San Pasqual Valley Road/state Route 78 from Cloverdale Road to Bear Valley Parkway following the crash, but reopened the lanes at 9:30 a.m., according to the CHP.

[sandiegoland]

One dead, 3 hurt as motorcycles crash

August 28, 2006

DULZURA – One person was killed and three others were injured in a series of motorcycle crashes on state Route 94 near Otay Lakes Road, according to the California Department of Forestry.

The incident happened shortly before 10 a.m. yesterday, the California Highway Patrol said.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, said Robert Reynolds, a firefighter with the Department of Forestry.

The victim was declared dead at the crash site. One person was airlifted and two others were taken to a hospital, said Reynolds, adding that their injuries are not life-threatening.

=====

I saw on a 7/39 News report last night that the guy killed was a rider who had pulled over to assist another rider. He didn't crash. More on this as I find it.

[gibbage]

Reading this stuff is depressing. :cry:

[Gerry.GEG]

...that defensive driving cures many Ills and speed is a factor in many, many motorcycle and car accidents. I had three dear cross my path yesterday. If I had been speeding, I would have had trouble stopping and knowing that if I see one, there are always more kept me out of trouble too.

We can't always avoid cagers but we can only do our best and enjoy the ride.

Be safe everyone.

[sandiegoland]

10:52 a.m. December 22, 2006

SAN DIEGO – The motorcyclist killed in a crash that began with a brief Border Patrol pursuit on an East County rural road has been identified as retired San Diego police Sgt. Robert Gregorio, 63, of Santee, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said Friday morning.

Gregorio was traveling northbound on Otay Lakes Road about 11:30 a.m. Thursday and was just past state Route 94 when a motorist heading the other direction at a high speed failed to negotiate the turn, said California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings.

The 2001 Ford Taurus being driven by an 18-year-man skidded sideways into the northbound lanes, and although Gregorio braked he was unable to avoid the Taurus, and crashed into the side of the car.

He was thrown from his bike, a 2006 special law enforcement edition Harley Davidson Road King, and killed, Pennings said.

Pennings said Gregorio was wearing all the required safety equipment.

The incident began a bit earlier that morning when a Border Patrol agent received a tip of illegal immigrant activity in the area, said Border Patrol spokesman Michael Bermudez.

Otay Lakes Road, a windy two-lane rural road between Chula Vista and Jamul, is a known route for illegal immigrant smuggling.

The agent saw a car parked along the side of the roadway and went to investigate, but by the time the agent arrived, the car had been driven off.

The agent came upon the Taurus a short distance away and tried to pull it over, but gave up the chase seconds later because of road conditions, Bermudez said.

The agent saw a cloud of dust around the curve moments later and realized an accident had occurred.

The driver of the car, who suffered moderate injuries and was alone, had no identification on him other than a Mexican student identification card, Pennings said. He gave officers a Los Angeles address.

He was taken to a hospital where he was kept overnight and was placed under arrest on suspicion of manslaughter, Pennings said.

Pennings said the man's immigration status has not yet been determined.

The road was closed in both directions between state Route 94 and Wueste Road for two hours as officers investigated the crash and crews cleaned up the wreckage.

[STROMETTE]

I was just on that road w/friends last week.
Sickening. Absolutely sickening.

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Stromette