Motorcyclist Critically Injured In 3-Vehicle Crash In Escondido

ESCONDIDO, CA — A motorcyclist suffered serious injuries when he crashed into two vehicles and was thrown from his motorcycle in Escondido, police said Thursday.

The crash happened shortly before 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, near the intersection of West Washington Avenue and North Escondido Boulevard, Escondido police Officer Frank Huston said.

The motorcyclist – an Escondido man whose age was not immediately available – was heading east on West Washington Avenue when he attempted to pass a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta on the left, but the woman driving the Volkswagen began merging into the two-way left turn lane and the rider collided with the car's driver's side mirror and its front quarter panel, Huston said.

After hitting the Volkswagen, the rider then hit the back of a Ford F- 250 pickup stopped in the two-way turn lane, waiting to turn left into a parking lot at the corner of Escondido Boulevard and West Washington Avenue, the officer said.

The rider was ejected from the motorcycle and landed about 15 feet away from the pickup, Huston said. The victim was taken to Palomar Medical Center, where he was admitted in critical condition.

The pickup fled the scene before police arrived, he said.

The truck was described as a white Ford F-250 between model years 2000 and 2006, possibly a single cab, with two shovels standing up in the bed area.

The driver was described as a Hispanic man with a mustache, between 35 and 40 years old, wearing a gray T-shirt and a baseball hat. A woman and small child also were in the truck.

Anyone with information about the crash or the pickup driver was asked to call Huston at 760-839-4423.

– City News Service