Motorcycle + High Speed = Trouble

About a year ago we had a spate of high speed fatal accidents involving teenage drivers in South Orange County (like this one and this one). Things have been quiet for awhile, but here we go again:

LAGUNA NIGUEL – An 18-year-old motorcycle rider was killed Wednesday night in a crash with a car at an intersection, authorities said.

The rider of the motorcycle, identified by the coroner as Joshua Chapman, was westbound on Crown Valley Parkway and hit a Mercedes-Benz at 9:26 p.m. at La Plata Drive, said Lt. Fred Furey of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

The driver of the Mercedes, a 54-year-old resident of Dana Point, was slightly injured and taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries.

Chapman, a resident of Laguna Niguel and a senior at Junipero Serra High School, was pronounced dead at the scene, said Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

Witnesses said Chapman was traveling at a high rate of speed when he crashed into the car, Amormino said.

The driver of the Mercedes-Benz was making a left turn from La Pata onto Crown Valley Parkway when Chapman crashed into the vehicle, officials said.

According to witnesses, the driver of the car was turning on a green left-turn signal. It appears that Chapman ran a red light during the accident, Amormino said.

There are many victims when something like this happens. Not only does the motorcycle rider pay a steep price, but the driver of the other vehicle will live with this forever, and the family and friends left behind will never get over it. As a parent of an 18 & 16 year old, I can't imagine how terrible a loss that must be.

Slow down.