A 21-year-old motorcyclist from Pescadero died on Sunday after a crash with a pickup truck on Empire Grade just above the UC Santa Cruz campus, according to authorities. The collision was reported around 4:45 PM north of Heller Drive, near the university's west entrance. The rider was airlifted to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, where he was later pronounced dead.
Officials said the motorcycle was a 1999 Harley-Davidson. The other vehicle was a 2025 Dodge Ram 2500 that was towing a flatbed trailer. The pickup driver was not injured. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner has not yet released the rider's name, pending notification of the family.
What Officials Said
In a California Highway Patrol press release reported by CBS News, investigators said they are still working to determine how the motorcycle and pickup came to collide. CHP noted that the speeds of both vehicles had not yet been established, and it remains unclear whether alcohol or drugs played any role.
According to the same report, the rider was wearing a helmet and the pickup driver had a seat belt on when first responders arrived.
Collision Details
KSBW reported that the pickup was driven by a 46-year-old man from Ben Lomond, who was uninjured in the crash. CHP officers and local emergency crews shut down the roadway while they examined the vehicles and documented the scene.
The motorcyclist was transported by helicopter to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, where he was pronounced dead, according to those reports.
Where It Happened
Empire Grade meets Heller Drive at UC Santa Cruz's west entrance, according to campus maps, which puts the crash just outside a main approach to the university. Santa Cruz transit schedules and UCSC shuttle routes show buses and campus shuttles regularly traveling through the Heller and Empire Grade corridor, making it a heavily used route for students and staff coming and going from campus.
Investigation Continues
CHP investigators are continuing to work the case and have not released further details while they process evidence from the scene. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner's Office will publicly release the rider's identity once next-of-kin notifications are complete, officials said in initial accounts of the crash.
