Palmdale Man Dies After Being Thrown From His Motorcycle
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PALMDALE — A 30-year-old Palmdale man was killed Friday when he was thrown from his motorcycle during a sharp turn, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy said.
Steve Joseph Ratzlaff was riding a 1989 Suzuki Kitana south on 30th Street West about 4:20 p.m. when he failed to negotiate a “hairpin turn” onto Avenue P-8, said Deputy Dave Miklos. The motorcycle skidded into a curb, throwing Ratzlaff into a dirt berm near the side of the road.
Ratzlaff, who was wearing a helmet, was airlifted to Antelope Valley Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, Miklos said.
A witness told sheriff’s deputies that Ratzlaff had passed him on 30th Street West and was traveling at “a very high rate of speed,” Miklos said.
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