Motorcyclist Dies After Freeway Crash

An Oregon man died Thursday morning after losing control of his motorcycle on the northbound Ventura Freeway and crashing into a metal guardrail, police said.

Timothy Alan Miller, 32, died on arrival at Ventura County Medical Center minutes after the 10 a.m. crash that occurred between Seaward Avenue and Main Street, police and medical examiners said.

An autopsy was done but a cause of death had not been determined, coroner’s investigator Jim Wingate said. Miller’s medical history was requested from his doctors in Oregon to investigate if a preexisting health condition contributed to the crash.

Miller is not believed to have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, California Highway Patrol Officer Steven Reid said. Miller may have had a heart attack, Reid said.

At the time of the crash, Miller was driving about 70 mph on his white 1992 Yamaha and traveling sixth in a pack of seven motorcyclists, Reid said.

“He drifted into the center divider, lost control of the motorcycle, and both he and the motorcycle slid into a metal guard rail,” Reid said.

The crash forced the closure of the freeway’s fast lane for more than an hour and contributed to a backup that stretched as far south as Victoria Avenue.