Motorcyclist who died in 405 Freeway crash ID’d as 37-year-old Costa Mesa resident

A motorcyclist who died on the 405 Freeway in Seal Beach after colliding with a Caltrans vehicle early Thursday morning has been identified as a 37-year-old resident of Costa Mesa, officials reported Friday.

California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, which took place shortly before 4:45 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the freeway, just south of Seal Beach Boulevard, according to City News Service.

A motorcyclist — whom Orange County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Braun said was identified by the county coroner’s office as Richard Mendoza — was traveling north on the 405 before sunrise, the same time as a Caltrans truck, when it collided with the vehicle.

Mendoza was pronounced dead at the scene, CNS reported Thursday. CHP officers did not know what exactly may have caused the motorcycle to crash into the vehicle and told the news service the incident was still under investigation.

Coroner’s officials notified Mendoza’s next of kin, who said Mendoza identified as female, according to Braun.

The Caltrans vehicle, a 2017 Ford F650 described as an attenuator truck, is a safety vehicle outfitted with cushions typically placed at road construction sites as crash barriers designed to protect motorists and workers.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or who may have more information is asked to call CHP’s Westminster Area office at (714) 892-4426 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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