A San Francisco area motorcyclist was killed late last week in a domino-effect motorcycle accident which also involved a Toyota Corolla, A Honda CRV, and a big rig truck. California Highway Patrol investigators believe that the series of crashes involving all four vehicles are related to one another, and resulted in this tragic fatality.
The accident happened on Highway 101 in the city of San Mateo, during the morning commute towards San Francisco. According to Highway Patrol officers, the four car pile-up caused traffic to back up for miles as investigators attempted to detangle the chain of events which led to the motorcyclist’s death.
So far, police reports have reconstructed this version of the incident: before the sun came up, the driver of a Toyota Corolla drove into the center median on Highway 101, near the Dore Avenue exit. The driver later testified that fatigue caused her to doze off at the wheel and lose control of her vehicle.
A passing motorist came to the aid of the crashed Corolla driver and attempted to direct traffic around her vehicle with a flashlight. However, his efforts were not enough to prevent the Honda CRV, a big rig, and a motorcycle from crashing several minutes later. While reports are not conclusive, police officers believe that it is very likely that the disabled Corolla caused these other vehicles to crash.
So far, the motorcyclist is the accident’s only known victim. According to KTVU News, the conditions of the other drivers involved in the accident are not yet known, although police reported that the driver of the big rig abandoned the scene of the crash before officers arrived.
Source: KTVU, “Motorcyclist Dies in Highway 101 Crash.” 10 March 2011.
