A motorcyclist was ejected from his Harley-Davidson and airlifted to a trauma center early Thursday after a Nissan Pathfinder crossed the double yellow lines on US Highway 395 in Victorville while trying to pass a semi-truck. The crash happened around 6:05 a.m. near Mesa Street, and the motorcycle ended up sliding underneath the semi it had just been riding alongside.
According to VVNG, the Nissan had been traveling southbound behind the semi-truck tractor when its driver crossed the solid double yellow lines and attempted to pass in the northbound lane. That move put the SUV directly in the path of the oncoming Harley-Davidson, and the two collided head-on in the opposing lane of traffic.
The impact ejected the rider from his motorcycle, which then slid underneath the semi-truck and came to rest beneath the trailer near its rear wheels, based on scene photos reviewed by the outlet. The Nissan Pathfinder sustained damage to its front end, driver's side, and passenger's side. The motorcyclist was first taken to a local hospital before being flown onward to a trauma center; no information about his condition has been released.
Highway Closed for Two Hours During Investigation
US Highway 395 between Eucalyptus Road and Phelan Road was shut down for about two hours while emergency crews worked the scene and investigators documented the collision. The Victorville Police Department is handling the investigation and has not yet announced any findings beyond the preliminary account of how the Nissan ended up in the northbound lane.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call 760-241-2911.
Another Deadly Crash Involving a Semi on the Same Highway
Thursday's crash is the latest in a string of serious motorcycle collisions involving semi-trucks along the same stretch of highway. In March, a motorcyclist was killed in a crash with a semi-truck at US Highway 395 and Mojave Drive in Adelanto, a collision VVNG later identified as 24-year-old Victorville resident Miguel Escobar. In that case, investigators said Escobar failed to stop at a solid red light for westbound traffic and struck the rear partition of the semi-truck, and deputies said the preliminary investigation found no criminal element on the part of the truck driver. That crash shut down the Mojave Drive intersection for about four hours, longer than Thursday's two-hour closure.
A separate incident in July 2023 saw a motorcyclist airlifted after a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 395 north of Main Street in Hesperia, which involved a pickup truck towing a utility trailer along with two cars and the motorcycle. That rider was taken by ground ambulance to a landing zone before being flown via Mercy Air to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, and both directions of the highway were briefly closed between Main Street and Smoke Tree Street as the Hesperia Police Department investigated.
