A motorcyclist died Friday in a head-on collision with a car on a curving mountain road in East County.
The Oceanside man, 33, was riding north on state Route 79 in the Julian area shortly before 1:30 p.m. when his 2008 Harley Davidson Dyna Glide veered to the left. He crossed into a southbound lane, into the path of an oncoming 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The resulting collision near KQ Ranch Road left the motorcyclist dead at the scene. Authorities withheld his name pending family notification.
Following the deadly impact, the unoccupied two-wheeler slid across the roadway and collided with a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by an Arizona woman, 62, CHP public-affairs Officer Travis Garrow said.
At the same time, a northbound 2016 Harley-Davidson struck debris in the roadway at the crash site and toppled, sending the rider, an Oceanside man, 57, onto the pavement.
Paramedics took the driver of the Volkswagen to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido for treatment of minor injuries. The others involved in the accident, including the second motorcyclist, did not suffer injuries, Garrow said.
The cause of the chain-reaction wreck was under investigation.
“Currently, it is unknown if alcohol and or drugs were a contributing factor,” Garrow said.
