A 33-year-old motorcyclist was seriously injured Thursday evening when a Honda Pilot struck the rear of his motorcycle in Pacific Beach, ejecting him into a concrete wall near Mission Bay Drive and Rosewood Street. The rider suffered a fractured femur, a collapsed lung, broken ribs, a splenic injury, a kidney contusion, a spinal fracture and shoulder fractures in the crash, which was reported around 6:16 p.m.
According to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News, the motorcyclist was riding a 2019 Yamaha R3 northbound in the right lane of Mission Bay Drive when a 71-year-old man driving a 2023 Honda Pilot attempted to cross the northbound lanes to make a right turn onto eastbound Rosewood Street. The Honda Pilot struck the rear of the motorcycle, ejecting the rider, who then slid into a concrete wall, the outlet reported.
Extent of the Rider's Injuries
Despite the severity of the injuries, police said they were considered non-life-threatening, and the rider was transported to a local hospital. The list of injuries — a fractured femur, collapsed lung, broken ribs, splenic injury, kidney contusion, spinal fracture and shoulder fractures — underscores how violent the impact was, even though the Pilot itself was reportedly only turning off the roadway.
San Diego Police Department's Traffic Division is handling the investigation. Police said alcohol was not a factor in the crash, and no citation, arrest or determination of fault has been reported.
Second Pacific Beach Motorcycle Crash This Year
Thursday's collision wasn't an isolated event on this stretch of roadway. Back on Aug. 1, a 33-year-old woman was seriously injured in a separate motorcycle crash in the 3600 block of Mission Bay Drive, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. In that incident, the rider was southbound on a black 2023 Honda CB500 when she reportedly ran a steady red arrow and broadsided the rear driver-side door of a vehicle, suffering a fractured hip and abrasions to her leg.
As in Thursday's crash, alcohol was not deemed to be a factor in the August collision, and the matter was also handled by the SDPD Traffic Division. The two incidents, months apart but just blocks from each other along Mission Bay Drive, both ended with motorcyclists in their early 30s suffering serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
