Motorcyclist killed on I-5 near Carmel Valley

A motorcyclist died in a crash on southbound Interstate 5 in the Carmel Valley area early Thursday morning, authorities said.

The 35-year-old San Diego man crashed into the back of a Mini Cooper about 1:10 a.m. on I-5 south of Carmel Valley Road, California Highway Patrol Trooper Salvador Castro said. It is unclear why he struck the car, driven by a 55-year-old Imperial Beach woman.

The impact caused the rider to fall from his motorcycle and land on the roadway. He was then struck by a Nissan Sentra driven by a 52-year-old woman from San Diego.

The driver suffered serious injuries and died in hospital.

All lanes of southbound I-5 south of Carmel Valley Road were closed for the traffic investigation and traffic was diverted to a carpool lane. The freeway in that area was fully reopened by 3 a.m., the CHP said.

It is unknown if drugs or alcohol played a role in the accident. The county coroner’s office is awaiting a toxicology report.