Annette Carrion, Irvine motorcyclist who died in Ortega Highway crash, remembered by online community

An Irvine motorcyclist who gained some social-media attention for her biking skills and advocating for other women to ride died Saturday, March 31 while traveling along on one of her favorite stretches after her motorcycle went off of the side of Ortega Highway in Lake Elsinore. Soon after 33-year-old Annette Carrion’s death, many of her social-media followers mourned her passing, some creating video tributes about the loss of a riding advocate. Carrion and two other women had created a motorcycling group called the Redline Ravens. “We just lost one of our own. The pain is so unreal,” an Instagram post reads from the group’s account. “Things won’t be the same without you. We’ve been through so much and faced the odds together, striving to set good examples and earn genuine respect from the motorcycle community and others.” The Redline Ravens’ website says the trio’s goal was to “encourage others to lead an active lifestyle, with an emphasis towards inspiring women, from all walks of life, to gain confidence in male-dominant industries and to promote a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect between all riders.” Carrion was riding a 2015 Triumph, which she was often seen riding in videos posted on her various social-media pages. She could be seen biking on Southern California roads, often on Ortega Highway. The accident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, with Carrion traveling an estimated 70 to 80 mph east of Morrell Canyon, according to the California Highway Patrol. She was unable to make a curve because of her speed and veered off of the road before being thrown from the bike and killed, the CHP said. Picturesque, curvy Ortega Highway is the site of many fatal crashes, often involving motorcycle riders. According to her social media posts, Carrion had lost both of her parents recently. Her mother passed away in November and her father followed about two weeks before the rider’s own death. In one of her last videos, Carrion described being silent from social media. “I know that I haven’t posted in a long time, but today’s the day that I’ve come out of hiatus and I’m about to get geared and go for a little ride to Ortega Highway,” she says excitedly. “So I will be motovlogging and telling you all about what’s been going on in my life. It’s just been a really crazy and hectic time. So anyway just stay tuned for my motovlog and I gotta get ready!”