Crime & Safety
Imperial Beach Man Dies in Motorcycle Crash on Palomar Mountain
The 29-year-old is found by another motorcyclist who crashed in roughly the same location approximately an hour later.
A 29-year-old Imperial Beach man died Sunday when his motorcycle crashed into an embankment on the side of South Grade Road, north of State Route 76, at approximately 1:20 p.m., according to Eric Newbury with the California Highway Patrol.
The man's body was found by another motorcyclist who crashed at the same location roughly an hour later.
The victim was traveling on a 1997 Ducati motorcycle when he apparently lost control and drove from the roadway into the embankment due to a high rate of speed, Newbury said.
His friends had already searched the area for him without success when a second motorcyclist, Roldan Cruz, lost control of his 2007 Ducati and ran off the road at approximately 2:15 p.m.
Cruz found the Imperial Beach man unconscious as he hiked back to the road. Cruz, 29, suffered minor injuries.
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Emergency crews tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the victim at the scene.
The two weren't riding together, though Newbury said that, "Any riders that like to go up that stretch of Palomar Mountain know that accidents are common."
Further investigation is awaiting return of a toxicology report, though Newbury said that at this point the accident can be attributed to "no other reason other than high speed."
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His name is being withheld pending notification of family members.
