A motorcyclist died this morning near Temecula, California after splitting lanes in heavy traffic and colliding with a truck hauling two trailers.
Motorcyclist Hit BMW While Lane Splitting
According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 6:45 this morning. The 44-year-old motorcyclist was splitting lanes at 45 to 50 m.p.h. The motorcyclist collided with a BMW that was changing lanes, sending him flying off his motorcycle and under the left rear tires of a truck hauling two 28 foot trailers.
The motorcyclist was dragged 600 feet before he became dislodged. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Fatal Incident Causes Extreme Distress for Truck Driver Involved
The 60-year-old truck driver immediately pulled over and reported the incident. He was physically unharmed during the crash, but was so emotionally distraught that CHP called in assistance from Trauma Intervention Programs.
The incident closed down 3 lanes of traffic for nearly 3 hours. Traffic was backed up for 8 miles as authorities investigated the incident.
CHP: Lane Splitting Legal but Requires Extreme Precaution
CHP noted that while lane-splitting is legal in California, it is essential to be safe when doing it: “due to the motorcyclist’s rate of speed while splitting lanes, he was unable to avoid the BMW, causing the motorcyclist to collide with the BMW’s right side.”
Sources:
Valley News
Patch
The Press Enterprise