Motorcyclist who died on 2 Freeway was prominent physician

The man who was killed Monday night after he lost control of his motorcycle on the 2 Freeway was a former chief of surgery at two local hospitals and a prominent physician, officials said.

Thomas Grosch, 53, of La Cañada Flintridge was pronounced dead at the crash scene near Mountain Street, Los Angeles County coroner assistant chief Ed Winter told the Glendale News-Press.

He was traveling north on the freeway at about 5:55 p.m. on a Harley Davidson, possibly at a high rate of speed, said California Highway Patrol Officer Tom Miller. Responding officers discovered 300 feet of skid marks on the road, he said.

Grosch, for reasons not immediately known, reportedly lost control of his motorcycle, which caused it overturn, officials said. He was thrown from the motorcycle and suffered massive injuries, Miller said.

Grosch, an ear, nose and throat doctor, had just returned to work from a family trip, said Dr. Warren Line, Grosch’s partner at East Valley ENT in Burbank. Grosch and his wife had three daughters.

“He was just happy to be back,” Line said.

Grosch had also served as chief of surgery at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and worked at Providence Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank, where he served as chairman for the ear, nose and throat department.

Grosch was also the chief of surgery at Glendale Memorial Hospital for a year in 2007, according to the hospital’s spokeswoman, Sonia Astrid Solin. He had worked with the hospital and its staff for nearly 15 years.

CHP officers are investigating the crash and are looking for witnesses. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call investigators at the CHP Altadena station at (626) 296-8100.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA

Veronica Rocha is a Times Community News staff writer.