Motorcyclist Crashes Into CHP Officer On I-5 In North County

SOLANA BEACH, CA — A 61-year-old man on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a California Highway Patrol officer were hospitalized after the man lost control of the Harley on Interstate 5 in Solana Beach, authorities said Wednesday.

The officer was removing a traffic hazard from the left lane on the southbound freeway south of Lomas Santa Fe Drive at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, according to the CHP. As the officer reached his vehicle, the approaching motorcyclist veered to the left and "collided with the center divider wall, and the rider subsequently impacted with the CHP officer," the CHP's Juan Escobar said.

The driver was thrown from his vehicle. The officer sustained minor to moderate injuries, and the driver sustained major injuries, according to Escobar.

The CHP, the North County Fire Protection District, the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene.

The first and second lanes of I-5 were closed for an unknown duration for the investigation.

— City News Service