Female Motorcycle Passenger, 44, Dies Of Injuries After Hwy 152 Crash

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA -- A woman died in one of two motorcycle accidents just an hour apart
Sunday afternoon on state Highway 152 west of Gilroy, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Around 2:30 p.m., a motorcyclist was on eastbound Highway 152 east of Watsonville Road and tried to avoid colliding with a black BMW making a U-turn, according to the CHP.

The BMW had been heading west on the freeway and stopped to turn to the eastbound lane in front of the 2005 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, CHP officials said.

• Previous: 1 Dead, 2 Injured In Separate Motorcycles Crashes

The motorcyclist lost control of the bike, which overturned and ejected the driver and passenger, a 44-year-old San Juan Bautista woman, CHP officials said.

The motorcycle driver suffered minor injuries and the passenger was transported to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to the CHP.

The woman's name won't be released until the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office confirms her identity and notifies her next of kin.

No one was injured in the BMW, according to the CHP.

Investigators are looking into whether any impairment played a role in the crash, CHP officials said.

About an hour earlier, around 1:30 p.m., another crash occurred on Highway 152 east of Sprig Lake, where a 2014 Honda Pilot heading west in an eastbound lane collided head-on with a 1998 Honda motorcycle at a blind turn, CHP officials said.

The motorcyclist, a 60-year-old San Jose man, suffered major injuries and was transported to Regional Medical Center of San Jose for treatment, according to the CHP.

The SUV driver, a 32-year-old Van Nuys woman, was not hurt in the collision, CHP officials said.

• Also see: Woman Found Severely Injured On Hwy 101 Jumped Or Fell From SUV Window: UPDATE

--Bay City News/File photo