Motorcyclist Killed, 2 Hurt in PCH Crash

A 20-year-old Cerritos man was killed Sunday afternoon and two people were critically injured when his motorcycle plowed into a motor scooter along a busy stretch of Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, police said.

The fatal accident about 1:10 p.m. caused a massive, three-hour traffic jam on Pacific Coast Highway between Bolsa Chica State Park and Huntington City Beach. Both beaches had drawn unusually large crowds Sunday because of record-breaking hot weather.

The motor scooter, after being hit from the rear, struck a car in front of it and skidded into the center divider. The resulting debris blocked both sides of the highway.

The motorcycle driver, identified as Ruben Medina, was pronounced dead at the scene. Huntington Beach police Officer Robert Barr said Medina died of massive injuries from being thrown onto the pavement.

Critical Condition

The two people riding on the motor scooter were identified as a 22-year-old Carson man and a 17-year-old Huntington Beach girl. Their names were withheld pending notification of relatives. They were taken to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, where they were in critical condition with multiple injuries, Barr said.

The accident investigation and subsequent cleanup forced police to reroute beach traffic inland, Barr said.

Barr said Medina was driving his motorcycle east on Pacific Coast Highway at a high rate of speed when the accident occurred. Medina struck the rear of the motor scooter between Golden West Street and Warner Avenue, near Bolsa Chica State Beach, Barr said.

The two people riding the motor scooter “were thrown underneath and into” a Buick sedan driving in front of them, Barr said. The motorcycle then smashed into a chain-link fence at the state park.

Investigating officers said the Buick, after being struck by the motor scooter, careened into the center divider of Pacific Coast Highway.

But Barr said the two passengers in the Buick, whose identities were not immediately released, were not injured.

Times staff writer Bill Billiter contributed to this article.