Motorcyclist Killed In Ortega Highway Crash Just East Of OC-RivCo Line

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A 37-year-old Walnut man died Saturday afternoon after crashing his motorcycle west of Lake Elsinore, on state Route 74, commonly known as Ortega Highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred at approximately 1:25 p.m. about a half-mile east of the Riverside-Orange County line, CHP officials said.

According to investigators, the man was riding a 2026 BMW S 1000 R motorcycle westbound on SR-74 when he failed to negotiate a left-hand curve in the roadway. The motorcycle drifted onto the right shoulder and struck a metal guardrail, ejecting the rider who was wearing a helmet.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene and pronounced the man dead. His identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin by the coroner's office.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Authorities ask anyone who witnessed the collision or has additional information to contact the Temecula CHP office at 951-466-4300.