1 killed, 3 hospitalized in string of motorcycle crashes in foggy Huntington Beach

The Pacific Airshow, a Trump rally and unseasonably foggy weather — which brought together thousands of out-of-towners under conditions of low visibility — made the past weekend eventful for Huntington Beach police, who responded to three motorcycle collisions in roughly a 24-hour period.

Officers Friday were called to a crash near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Taylor Drive at around 7 p.m. involving a 2024 Yamaha R1 motorcycle and a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLS450, according to a news release issued that night.

Investigators believe the Mercedes was traveling northbound on Beach and was in the process of making a U-turn from the left turn lane at Taylor Drive, when a motorcyclist traveling southbound on Beach made impact with the vehicle, the release indicated.

The motorcyclist was found lying in the roadway when first responders arrived on scene and was pronounced dead, according to police. Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Matthew Parrish confirmed Monday coroner’s officials had identified the decedent as Bailey Dominic Vasquez, 24, of Rosemead.

The driver of the Mercedes, identified only as a 47-year-old Huntington Beach man, remained at the scene and cooperated with police. That individual was determined not to have been intoxicated at the time of the crash, police reported. Both directions of Beach Boulevard were closed for several hours to accommodate the investigation, police reported.

A second collision involving a motorcyclist occurred at around 2 p.m. Saturday on Pacific Coast Highway, when a motorcyclist traveling southbound pulled away from the intersection at Main Street and collided with a sedan, Huntington Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jessica Cuchilla confirmed Monday.

Videos posted on social media show a pack of bikers revving their engines while waiting at the intersection, where a crowd of Trump supporters could be seen waving flags and spilling out into the roadway.

The motorcycle driven by the unidentified collision victim can be seen on the video popping a wheelie and accelerating as a vehicle driving southbound on PCH in front of him slows down just before impact is made.

“The motorcyclist was transported with moderate injuries to a local hospital,” Cuchilla said, indicating the incident is still being actively investigated. “No one from the vehicle was injured or transported.”

Hours later, another crash temporarily closed down lanes near the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Boulevard, where a motorcyclist reportedly collided with a pedestrian shortly before 8 p.m., causing severe injuries to both parties, according to police.

In that incident, a motorcycle is believed to have struck the pedestrian and then collided with another vehicle traveling nearby. The motorcyclist and the person on foot were both transported to area medical centers for treatment, but the driver of the vehicle did not require hospitalization, Cuchilla said. That investigation is still ongoing.

The police spokeswoman did not speculate as to the cause of any of the collisions, but did acknowledge the weekend was a busy one for first responders.

“It was not a normal weekend here in Huntington Beach,” she said Monday.

Anyone who may have witnessed Friday’s fatal crash or the events leading up to it is asked to call HBPD Traffic Investigator Vishal Rattanchandani at (714) 536-5231.