A bicyclist was struck and killed by a motorist while on a freeway transition road in Costa Mesa, authorities said Saturday.
There was no immediate word of why the bike rider was on a freeway in the late-night darkness.
The bicyclist was identified as Gilbert Gutierrez III, 32, according to the coroner’s office. Gutierrez was a resident of Lakewood, according to the California Highway Patrol.
His death occurred at 10:51 p.m. Friday, the coroner’s office reported. Gutierrez was riding a Schwinn bicycle on the transition road from the southbound Costa Mesa (55) Freeway to the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway when he decided to ride across all lanes of traffic and into the path of a 2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by a 24-year-old woman, the CHP reported.
The car, which was going about 70 mph, struck Gutierrez, who was ejected from the bike and onto the windshield of the Mitsubishi.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the coroner’s office.
The motorist, who was a resident of Yorba Linda, was not injured. She was not cited or arrested.
—City News Service