Motorcyclist Killed In La Cresta Crash, ID'd By Coroner

LA CRESTA, CA — A motorcyclist died in a crash near Murrieta on Friday after losing control of his bike and slamming into a metal sign, the California Highway Patrol reports.

The man, who the Riverside County coroner's office identified Monday as Joseph Perez of Desert Hot Springs, died at the scene of the wreck on Tenaja Road, just rest of Clinton Keith Road. He was 26.

The crash happened around 1:50 p.m. as the rider was headed westbound on Tenaja Road, at an estimated speed of 55 to 65 miles per hour, according to CHP Officer Mike Lassig.

"Based on the preliminary investigation, the rider was traveling at an unsafe speed and failed to negotiate the curve in the roadway," Lassig told Patch. "He left the roadway and overturned on the dirt shoulder; the rider was ejected and struck a metal sign where the rider sustained fatal injuries."

Lassig asked that if anyone witnessed the crash to call the CHP Temecula Area Office at 951-506-2000.