Motorcyclist Dies in Plunge Off Cliff

A 49-year-old Ventura motorcyclist died Sunday morning after losing control of his bike and plunging more than 100 feet off a cliff in northern Ventura County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The man, whose name was not released pending notification of his parents, who were out of town on a camping trip, crashed about 10:35 a.m. on California 33 about 10 miles north of Rose Valley Road, authorities said.

The man was traveling at a high rate of speed on his Yamaha motorcycle, authorities said, when he failed to negotiate a curve and jumped an embankment. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ventura County Senior Deputy Coroner James Baroni said the man had been riding with other friends on motorcycles, who called police after the crash.