TEMECULA: Lane-splitting motorcyclist injured in crash

May 18, 2015 6:44 pm

A Temecula motorcyclist who was splitting lanes during the Monday morning commute on southbound Interstate 15 was injured in a single-vehicle crash.

The motorcyclist, Alexander J. Smith, was reportedly traveling between 40 and 45 mph, splitting the number one and number two lanes on I-15 south of Temecula Parkway around 6 a.m., when he made an “unsafe turning movement” and lost control of his 2000 Kawasaki Ninja, said California Highway Patrol Off. Mike Lassig.

Smith, who slammed into the center divider after getting ejected off his bike, told officers a vehicle merged toward him but that sequence of events hadn’t been corroborated as of noon Monday.

Smith’s injuries to his back and legs were described as “minor to moderate.” He was transported to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment.

Lassig said traffic on that stretch of the freeway had been moving around 20 mph at the time of the crash.

Lane-splitting is legal in California but the CHP advises motorcycle riders to travel at a safe speed to allow for a high visual horizon.

“It has to be done in a safe manner,” he said.