Motorcyclist, 57, killed Sunday

A 57-year-old Carlsbad man was killed Sunday afternoon when his motorcycle collided with a car that had just struck another car, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash was reported at 12:40 p.m. in the 18000 block of Highland Valley Road, two miles west of state Route 67, according to Cal Fire.

The motorcyclist, Dennis Wayne Williams, was southbound on Highland Valley Road when a northbound Toyota Prius made a complete stop, yielding to the motorcycle before turning left, authorities reported.

Ramona resident Leighton Brixey, 20, was driving a silver Honda Civic on Highland Valley Road and said he was talking to his girlfriend, who was a passenger in the Honda, and didn’t realize the car ahead of him had stopped, said California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings. The Honda’s driver swerved to the left to avoid the Prius, but struck the car’s left rear, Pennings said.

The Civic and the oncoming motorcycle collided, ejecting the motorcyclist onto the roadway, the medical examiner’s office reported. Williams was taken by ambulance to 3410 Dye Road to be airlifted to a hospital, but he was pronounced dead at the landing zone near Fire Station 82, officials reported.

Highland Valley Road was closed west of Route 67 for about 45 minutes following the crash, the California Highway Patrol reported on its website.