UPDATE: Motorcyclist Killed In Capital City Freeway Accident
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A man died after crashing his motorcycle on the Capital City Freeway early Thursday morning in Sacramento and being struck by a big rig.
Drivers were diverted off at Arden after the crash closed outbound Capital City Freeway all morning long.
It would be nearly five hours after the grisly accident before traffic started moving again.
Witnesses say a motorcyclist tried to pass a bread truck on eastbound Business 80 just before 5 a.m. As he moved into the fast lane, the bike wobbled and he lost control. The motorcycle skidded to a stop and the rider tumbled off into the roadway.
A bread truck driver was able to avoid the motorcyclist and pulled over to call 911. However, a fully loaded big rig traveling behind the bread truck then struck the motorcyclist as he lay in the roadway, killing the 52-year-old local man. His name wasn't released pending notification of next of kin.
CHP Sgt. Mike Gallisdorfer was asked if the big rig driver should have had enough time to avoid the man.
"It's hard to tell at this point. It's pretty hard for a big rig to do what a smaller vehicle can do to swerve, so when an object's thrown in front of a big rig, he has a harder time," he said.
The CHP closed all lanes of the freeway for the investigation and lengthy cleanup. Traffic backup stretched into downtown by late morning as detours were put in place.
As for what caused the rider to lose control of his motorcycle, the CHP say slick roads may have played a factor. The investigation will take several weeks to complete. As of now, no one has been cited.
CHP says the victim is a 52-year-old local man. His identity has not been released.
The lanes finally reopened just before 10:00a.m.
