Biker injured in Pauma Valley crash

PAUMA VALLEY (CNS) - A motorcyclist was gravely injured today in a solo crash on a rural road near Casino Pauma.

The rider was trying to pass a construction vehicle in a road-work zone on Cole Grade Road in Pauma Valley when he lost control of his Honda two-wheeler about 6:45 a.m., sending it crashing into a parked truck near Spring Valley Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Medics airlifted the motorcyclist, whose name was not immediately available, to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido for treatment of "massive" head trauma, CHP public affairs Officer Kevin Smale said.

The accident forced a roughly 45-minute closure of the two-lane road in the area, Smale said.