Last Updated on June 24, 2019 by CCAR Staff
A Corona woman who died in a three-motorcycle crash Sunday on Ortega Highway was a passenger aboard a bike that was struck as two other motorcyclists braked as they came up on stopped traffic due to a previous accident, the California Highway Patrol said.
51-year-old Tina Coats died at the scene of the crash that happened just before 11 a.m. Sunday on the highway, west of El Cariso Village, authorities said.
Ortega Highway — Highway 74 — is a popular destination ride for motorcyclists, especially on weekends.
Coats was aboard a 2008 Harley-Davidson driven by a 62-year-old Corona man, and it was stopped for traffic in the westbound lane of the roadway because of the previous crash, CHP Officer Mike Lassig wrote in his initial report.
Two other motorcycles, a 2015 Yamaha driven by a 60-year-old Aliso Viejo man and a 2018 Ducati driven by a 51-year-old San Clemente man, were also headed westbound and approaching the traffic stop, Lassig said.
The Yamaha was going at 45 to 55 mph, the CHP said, and the Ducati, behind the Yamaha, was going at 62 mph, both called “stated speeds” in the agency’s report.
Both motorcycles came to a curve in the roadway, saw the stopped traffic, and braked. Lassig said either the Ducati or the Yamaha struck the left side of the Harley-Davidson, resulting in the fatal injury to Coats. The circumstances were still under investigation Monday.
Cal Fire/Riverside County said Sunday one victim of the crash was airlifted to a hospital while Coats died while she was being treated at the scene.
The Yamaha cyclist had moderate injuries and the Ducati driver had a minor injury, the CHP said. The Corona man aboard the Harley escaped injury.
Reporter Robert Gundran contributed to this story.
