Newport Beach : Motorcycle Rider Hits Divider, Slides 170 Feet
A Costa Mesa man was in critical condition Friday after he lost control of his speeding motorcycle, hit the center divider of Newport Boulevard and slid nearly 170 feet after hitting the roadway, police said.
Gerald Dwayne McCloskey, 43, suffered massive head injuries, internal injuries, and multiple spine and leg fractures in the accident Thursday afternoon, police said. He was not wearing a helmet.
McCloskey was riding his Kawasaki motorcycle north on Newport Boulevard, at 65 to 80 m.p.h., witnesses estimated. He lost control of the bike after striking the raised center divider, just north of Hospital Road.
“His body went nearly 170 feet after impacting the roadway and his motorcycle went approximately 475 feet after impact, corroborating the witnesses who said McCloskey was traveling at a high rate of speed,” a police spokesman said.
McCloskey was treated at the scene by Newport Beach paramedics, then taken to the trauma center at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital.
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