Tree fell onto motorcycle rider, truck driver in double-fatal Highway 99 incident
Wind and rain knocked a large eucalyptus onto Highway 99, killing a motorcyclist and a driver in a series of crashes Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol said.
The tree fell about 5:50 a.m. on the northbound side of Highway 99 north of Betty Drive on top of a 58-year-old Cutler man on a 2004 Honda motorcycle and a 2014 Ford F-150 driven by another man in his 30s, CHP said.
Heavy rain soaked the ground in the center divider and winds pushed the tree down in the area of Goshen, CHP said.
Callers to 911 said it was also struck by lightning.
The truck was disabled upon impact while the motorcycle and the man on it skidded on the roadway, CHP said.
The driver and motorcycle rider were killed by the impact of the tree, CHP said.
Two other drivers, a man and a woman, attempted to avoid the tree but collided with it, CHP said. Neither of them reported injuries.
It took crews nearly four hours to clear the tree and the scene, shutting down the north lanes that entire time, CHP said.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 1:33 PM.
