alleymon Another day stuck in traffic on Ortega Highway:
As I passed Antonio eastbound on Ortega, there was a CalTrans truck with a sign saying that Ortega was Jammed due to an accident. Since most accidents clear in an hour unless a fatality is involved taking up to 3 hours I called Stacy to check the CHP traffic report.
I knew that the accident had happened at least an hour ago, since CalTrans is not usually very quick to respond with a “Sign Truck”. In fact, normally they don’t bother.
Stacy told me that the accident was “Just East of Nichols Rd” and that it was a possible fatal occuring about 3pm. Since it was already 4:30pm I decided to wait it out and traffic started moving again around 5:00pm.
Turning around would have meant a 2 hour detour so the choice wasn’t difficult this time.
Here’s what the OC Register Reported:
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Woman dies in motorcycle crash on Ortega Highway
She collided head-on with a big rig.
By CINDY CARCAMO
The Orange County register
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – A motorcyclist died today during a head-on collision with a big rig, California Highway Patrol officials reported.At about 3 p.m. a woman riding a motorcycle east on Ortega Highway, near the Riverside County border, failed to negotiate a turn and veered into the westbound lane, CHP officers said.
A tractor-trailer driving west on the highway struck the motorcycle, ejecting the motorcyclist who died on impact, CHP reported. A female passenger on the motorcycle suffered moderate injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
The truck driver was not injured, CHP officers said. That portion of Ortega Highway closed for nearly two hours. The woman’s identity was not released pending notification of her family.
See another site I found for Ortega Highway Information