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NORTH COUNTY —
An off-road motorcyclist died Wednesday after he rode into the path of a big rig on a desert highway in Ocotillo Wells, authorities said.
It happened about 12:30 p.m. on state Route 78 near Split Mountain Road in the small desert community, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Matthew Baranowski.
The victim, a 36-year-old Oceanside man, was stopped on the shoulder of the highway when he pulled onto the road riding a 2015 KTM EXC-450 enduro off-road dirt bike, Baranowski said.
But the rider “failed to observe” a 2016 Kenworth big rig hauling a propane tank trailer heading west on SR-78 and struck the side of the truck as he pulled onto the highway, Baranowski said. He was thrown from the motorcycle and gravely injured.
The victim was airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he died, according to Baranowski. His name was not released.
The 59-year-old trucker from Albuquerque was uninjured in the crash, and neither alcohol nor drugs were suspected factors in the collision, Baranowski said.
Source: This post first appeared on sandiegouniontribune.com
