LINDEN, CA : Motorcyclist killed in head-on collision on Highway 26 on Sunday, January, 7th 2018

A motorcycle rider died Sunday afternoon after colliding head-on with a pickup while he was passing other motorists on rural Highway 26 east of Linden, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The collision occurred in the eastbound lane of 26 west of North Wimer Road about 2:30 p.m. and closed the two-lane highway in both directions for approximately an hour due to emergency equipment parked in the roadway and the CHP investigation.

The motorcyclist, who has not been identified pending notification of next of kin, was traveling solo westbound at a high rate of speed when he crossed the solid double-yellow lines to pass slower traffic, including an unrelated pickup towing a horse trailer, the CHP reported.

At that point, he collided head-on with an eastbound Ford F-250 pickup. The rider was ejected and propelled into Ford driver’s compartment where he struck the driver, causing the driver to lose control. The Ford then veered off the north edge of the roadway and caught fire, the report stated.

Good Samaritans who stopped to help pulled the rider’s body through the windshield and helped extricate the Ford driver and a passenger. The motorcycle rider was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP.

The Ford driver was transported to San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp to be treated for major head injuries. The driver’s condition Monday was not reported. The CHP report indicated that alcohol or drugs are not suspected as a factor in the collision.

Source :
Motorcyclist killed in head-on collision on Highway 26