Another death on Ortega Highway: Killer roadway, dangerous driving, recipe for dying

Yet another person has died on the Ortega Highway — the fourth crash victim in less than a month.

The fatal wreck Monday killed one person and injured another after a motorcycle and SUV collided on the roadway west of Lake Elsinore.

The collision was reported at 5:09 p.m. near The Lookout Roadhouse restaurant, according to Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP, which reported that the crash closed Ortega Highway, also known as state Route 74, in both directions.

The surviving patient sustained moderate injuries, Hagemann said.

Two Orange County motorcyclists were killed Sunday when they collided head-on, just west of the Ortega Oaks Candy Store, in a very windy stretch of the Ortega.

Ortega Highway, which winds through the Santa Ana Mountains, is known for a higher-than-usual incidence of fatal crashes.

On Aug. 20, a 22-year-old San Clemente man was killed on the highway in a head-on collision when he crossed into the wrong side of the roadway while speeding and was hit by an SUV, according to the CHP.

–City News Service, staff