Marine motorcyclist causes collision, sustains injuries

On Tuesday afternoon, July 12, an active duty Marine riding a motorcycle caused a collision in downtown Fallbrook that resulted in him sustaining minor injuries.

Santiago Santos, 30, of Murrieta was driving his motorcycle eastbound on East Mission Road approaching the stoplight at North Main Avenue when he attempted to pass a pickup on the right side in order to continue faster through the intersection.

"He was unsafely passing a Dodge Ram pickup that was stopped at the light," said California Highway Patrol public information officer Chris Parent. "The truck had come to a stop at the light and then was making a right-hand turn onto Main. The motorcyclist was passing unsafely on the right, which caused the collision."

As a result of the collision, Santos suffered a dislocated right shoulder, abrasions to his left forehand, and a bruised left leg. He was transported by paramedics to Fallbrook Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Jaime Ortez, 55, the driver of the Dodge Ram pickup, did not sustain injuries, Parent said, but his truck sustained minor damage.

Parent said CHP officers have been writing a significant volume of tickets lately to motorcyclists committing that same violation near the entry to the Naval Weapons Station and Camp Pendleton.

"Our officers have been writing a lot of citations on East Ammunition Road for that specific violation - passing unsafely on the right," said Parent. He explained that as traffic backs up entering the Naval Weapons gate, many motorcyclists have been passing vehicles on the right.

"The Traffic Advisory Committee (TAC) has posted signs in that area letting these motorcyclists know that no passing is allowed; it has been deemed unsafe due to the number of driveways along that stretch of the road," said Parent.