(Another) Deadly Crash On The Ortega Highway Reported; Victim ID'd

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Another day, yet another tragic and deadly crash to report on a winding mountain highway that connects Riverside and Orange counties. A motorcyclist was killed in a crash on the Ortega Highway/State Route 74 on Monday evening following a rash of similar fatal collisions in the area.

According to the CHP, the latest incident happened around 5 p.m. Monday as a motorcyclist was headed eastbound near Grand Avenue "at an unsafe speed greater than 55 mph." That motorcyclist has since been identified as Nash Kenji of Beaumont, according to the Riverside County coroner's office. He was 42.

Meanwhile, as Kenji was riding a 2012 BMW motorcycle east, a man from Arizona was driving west on the roadway in a 2013 Hyundai Genesis.

"[The motorcyclist/Kenji] began to enter a right hand curve in the roadway at a high rate of speed," CHP Officer Mike Lassig said of the wreck. "[He] was unable to maintain his lane and witnesses observed [him] cross over the solid double yellow lines and into the westbound traffic lane."

That's when Kenji collided head-on with the Hyundai, Lassig said. The man was thrown off the bike and into the roadway.

The CHP and paramedics arrived at the scene shortly after the crash, but Kenji succumbed to his injuries about 15 minutes later at the scene, according to officials.

"We have another motorcyclist fatality this evening, it’s very sad that someone’s poor decision can affect the lives of others," Lassig said Monday night. "This person most likely has family and friends that will miss him. The CHP would like to remind all motorist and motorcyclist to drive or ride in a safe manner and follow the rules of the road. They are set in place to keep you alive."

SR-74 was partially closed until around 7:15 p.m.

In the last month, six people have died in crashes on the Riverside County side of the Ortega Highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Monday evening's deadly wreck came just one day after two people died on the Ortega in a head-on motorcycle crash. On Sept. 12, a man crashed in a vehicle approximately 100 feet down an embankment along the curvy highway; he was ejected because he wasn't wearing a seat belt, according to the CHP.

A teenager died in a crash along the same highway on Aug. 19. Another deadly crash happened on Aug. 20, Lassig said.