Motorcyclist Killed In Ortega Highway Crash

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A person was killed Monday afternoon in a head-on crash near Lake Elsinore, according to CHP and fire officials. The deadly wreck was reported around 12:50 p.m. along SR-74, also known as the Ortega Highway.

California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Lassig says a man in a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer was driving westbound on the roadway, while a man on a sports bike-type motorcycle was headed eastbound, about two miles west of Grand Avenue.

"The motorcyclist was traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed exiting the curve in the roadway... at the same time the driver of the Mitsubishi was turning left into his driveway. The two vehicles collided into each other head-on. "

The motorcyclist, who was identified as a Lake Elsinore man, died at the scene. The Lake Elsinore man in the sedan was uninjured.

One lane of the Ortega Highway was temporarily closed in the area, but the California Highway Patrol directed traffic through the crash scene.