A DUI suspect was arrested Saturday after a crash on Interstate 15 near Fallbrook left a motorcyclist dead.
California Highway Patrol officials said a motorcyclist was riding his Harley Davidson on northbound I-15, south of Mission Road and north of State Route 76, at around 4:30 a.m. At the same time, a 24-year-old man from Menifee, California, was driving a Hyundai Sonata behind the motorcyclist.
CHP said the driver of the Hyundai was traveling at “a significantly faster speed” than the motorcyclist.
The driver didn’t see the motorcyclist and hit him from behind. The impact threw the motorcyclist onto the pavement; the driver then ran over the motorcyclist, CHP investigators said.
The motorcyclist was critically injured and died at the scene. Due to the extent of his injuries, he has yet to be identified by officials, the CHP said Monday.
Officers at the scene performed a sobriety test on the driver of the Hyundai and determined he was under the influence of alcohol. He was arrested on suspicion of DUI. His name was not immediately released.
CHP officials said the crash caused debris to scatter along all lanes of the freeway.
Local
All northbound lanes were closed, with officials issuing a SigAlert that lasted more than five hours as crews worked to clear the vehicles and debris from the roadway. Traffic was diverted onto SR-76 for much of the duration of that closure. All lanes reopened just before 10 a.m.
The deadly crash remains under investigation.
