Motorcyclist killed, passenger seriously injured in head-on crash with SUV near Mount Helix

A collision between a motorcycle and an SUV near Mount Helix killed a 22-year-old motorcyclist over the weekend and severely injured a 20-year-old woman riding with him on his two-wheeler, authorities reported Monday.

The two were heading north on Avocado Boulevard in La Mesa aboard a 2017 Ducati at about 8 p.m. Sunday when the driver of a southbound 2019 Ford Explorer tried to make a left turn onto Explorer Road directly in their path, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The resulting head-on collision left the El Cajon man piloting the motorcycle dead at the scene, CHP public-affairs Officer Jasmine Lopez said. Paramedics took his passenger, also an El Cajon resident, to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego for treatment of serious injuries.

The driver of the SUV, a 40-year-old La Mesa man, suffered minor injuries in the wreck, Lopez said.