Calif. motorcyclist killed in Hwy. 20 crash west of Burns
A 71-year-old California man was killed Thursday afternoon when his motorcycle rear-ended another, then veered into the path of an oncoming pickup on U.S. Highway 20 in Harney County, Oregon State Police said.
Steven A. Gale of Montara, California was pronounced dead by emergency crews called to the crash, which occurred around 3:45 p.m. at milepost 114, near the Sage Hen Rest Area just east of the Hwy. 395 junction, said OSP Sgt. Brian Williams.
Gale’s 2009 Harley Davidson rear-ended a 2008 Harley Davidson operated by Robert Resch, 65, of Half Moon Bay, California, Williams said.
Resch lost control and crashed on the highway, and he and passenger Janet Kluzik, 54, of Half Moon Bay, were thrown from the motorcycle. Resch was taken to Harney District Hospital in Burns for treatment of minor injuries. Kluzik was flown by air ambulance to St. Charles Bend with what Williams called serious injuries, but a house supervisor at the hospital said late Thursday that she was admitted and in fair condition.
Preliminary information indicates Gale and Resch had been traveling together but became separated. Gale apparently was traveling at a high rate of speed when he collided with Resch, who had just pulled out from the rest area.
The crash and investigation blocked the highway for more than an hour and limited it to one lane for several more, troopers said. OSP was assisted at the scene by the Harney County Sheriff’s Office, ODOT and Hine police.
