A 40-year-old Jurupa Valley man was killed after losing control of his motorcycle on a curve east of Mountain Center and colliding head-on with a van, authorities said Thursday.
The fatality occurred about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday on state Route 74, near Ribbonwood Drive, between Mountain Center and Pinyon Pines, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Darren Meyer said that the victim, Dustin Blair, was eastbound on the highway when he attempted to negotiate a “sweeping right hand curve.”
About the same time, 46-year-old Christopher Fife of Mountain Center was entering the same curve from the opposite direction, heading west in his Toyota Sienna van, Meyer said.
Meyer said Blair was unable to remain in the eastbound lanes and crossed the double yellow lines — putting his 2013 Harley Davidson directly in the path of the oncoming Toyota.
The motorcycle and van collided, and Blair was ejected onto the highway, suffering catastrophic injuries, according to Meyer.
The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
Fife was not injured.
Meyer said alcohol or drugs may have been contributing factors, but the investigation is ongoing.