A motorcyclist died Tuesday morning after colliding head-on with a tractor-trailer on Highway 79 South near Vail Lake Road, east of Temecula, authorities said.
The motorcycle driver was heading south on the two-lane road when he crossed into the northbound lane to pass two slower-moving cars and slammed into the oncoming big rig, said California Highway Patrol Officer Brad Barksdale.
The motorcyclist was a 62-year-old man from Encinitas, Barksdale said. The officer did not immediately release the victim's name, pending notification of his family. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not harmed, Barksdale said.
A third vehicle was hit with debris from the crash, but no one else was injured, the officer said.
The 10:20 a.m. crash left the two-lane highway blocked; all lanes were reopened just after 1 p.m., Barksdale said.
