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Person killed in crash involving motorcycle on northbound I-15

An investigation was continuing to cause traffic delays in the area as of late afternoon

A paramedic helicopter had to land on Interstate 15 near Fallbrook Monday afternoon to rescue a motorcyclist who was badly hurt in a crash, resulting in the closure of the northbound side of the freeway for about 20 minutes.

The biker — whose identity was not immediately available — was taken to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, but was pronounced dead in the emergency room, a North County Fire official said. An investigation of the crash was continuing to cause traffic delays on northbound I-15 near state Route 76 in the late afternoon.

According to North County Fire Capt. John Choi, the motorcyclist struck the rear of a sedan around 1:30 p.m. on I-15 just north of state Route 76. The motorcyclist had been traveling at a speed "in excess of 100 miles per hour," just before the crash, Choi said.

The motorcyclist, riding a 2008 Kawasaki, had been reported a short while earlier along with the driver of a Mazda sedan for "driving dangerously" on the northbound freeway near Deer Springs Road, per information from CHP Officer Juan Escobar.

A CHP officer attempted to stop the vehicles, Escobar said, but the motorcyclist accelerated too fast for the officer to keep up. The rider collided with the rear of a Toyota Camry after losing the CHP officer.

Escobar said the rider went into the median, collided with a guardrail and was ejected onto the ground. The pursuing CHP officer arrived "moments later and provided first aid" before paramedics were able to get to the scene, according to Escobar.

Northbound I-15 was shut down in the area between about 1:40 p.m. and 2 p.m. to land a helicopter to take the biker to the hospital, but Choi said paramedics determined the victim was in too unstable a condition to safely be airlifted. The motorcyclist was ultimately taken to Palomar Medical Center in a ground ambulance, and died at the hospital, Choi said.

CHP officers were investigating the crash, and traffic on northbound I-15 was snarled back as far as Centre City Parkway hours later but had mostly cleared by late evening.

 

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