A man riding a dirt bike was killed Saturday evening after colliding with an SUV at the intersection of Spring Street and Karen Avenue in Long Beach. Police said speed appeared to be a factor in the crash, though the full circumstances remain under investigation, and the rider’s identity has not been released.
According to KTLA, the collision happened around 6:53 p.m. Saturday. The rider was traveling westbound on Spring Street when a 2012 Lincoln Navigator turned left onto Karen Avenue from Spring Street and collided with him, the station reported, citing police. Officers arrived to find the man unresponsive in the roadway, and Long Beach Fire Department personnel pronounced him dead at the scene, as first detailed by MyNewsLA.com.
The driver of the SUV, also an adult man, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, the station’s report noted. Authorities have said speed appears to have contributed to the collision, but the circumstances are still being sorted out, and it has not been specified which vehicle may have been moving too fast. The victim’s identity has not been released pending notification of his family by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Investigation Continues as Detectives Seek Witnesses
The investigation into Saturday’s crash is ongoing, and police have asked anyone with information to come forward. Those with knowledge of the collision are urged to contact Long Beach Police Department Collision Investigation Detail Detective Pineda at 562-570-5520.
Under California Vehicle Code Section 22107, a driver turning or moving laterally on a roadway must do so only when it can be completed with reasonable safety and must give an appropriate signal, according to California Legislative Information. It remains unclear whether that standard will factor into how investigators assess Saturday’s left turn onto Karen Avenue.
A Record Year for Fatal Crashes in Long Beach
Saturday’s death adds to a grim tally for the city. Long Beach recorded 53 fatal traffic collisions in 2025, the highest total in more than a decade and a sharp jump from the previous year, according to LAist. Thirty-two of those killed last year were walking, biking, or riding an e-scooter, the outlet reported.
Long Beach Public Works spokesperson Jocelin Padilla has said speeding is a primary factor in the city’s most serious crashes, per the same report. City officials have planned to install speed cameras at 18 locations, with warnings preceding any fines, and back in 2016 the Long Beach City Council set a goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries entirely by 2026 — a target the current numbers suggest the city is nowhere near meeting.
Part of a Broader Pattern on Two Wheels
Part of a Broader Pattern on Two Wheels Motorcycle and dirt-bike crashes have drawn growing scrutiny across Southern California this year. A 15-year-old Menifee boy riding an electric motocross-style motorcycle was killed in an apparent hit-and-run on Briggs Road, with the vehicle involved not located as of the following Thursday morning, KTLA reported separately. Fifteen days earlier, a 16-year-old boy was killed in Burbank when an electric motorcycle collided with a Tesla near Hollywood Way and Alameda Avenue.
Statewide, unsafe speed was the most common primary factor in fatal and serious-injury motorcycle crashes in 2023, accounting for 28.2 percent of such incidents, according to the UC Berkeley SafeTREC traffic safety facts report. Broadside crashes, like turning collisions at intersections, were the most common crash type that year, making up 31.1 percent of cases. California recorded 583 motorcyclist fatalities in 2023 alone, representing 14 percent of all motor-vehicle deaths statewide.
For now, the questions surrounding Saturday’s crash in Long Beach remain open. Investigators have not said whether the rider or the SUV driver may have been speeding, and no citations or charges have been confirmed as the case continues to develop.
