Oceanside CA— The motorcyclist involved in a crash in the early morning of Tuesday, February 28, 2017, on SR-76 has been identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner as 42-year-old Chad Michael Gayda, of Oceanside.
Just after 5:15 Tuesday morning, February 28, 2017, Oceanside Police along with the Oceanside Fire Department responded to reports of a traffic collision involving a motorcycle on westbound SR-76, half-mile east of Foussat Rd. The collision resulted in a fatality prompting the closure of WB SR-76 at Douglas.
At the time of the collision, it was dark and the roads were still wet from the heavy rain the night before. Traffic was backed up on SR-76 between Douglas Dr. and Foussat Rd. According to several witnesses, traffic was at a stop and go pace with a maximum speed of approximately 15 MPH approaching Foussat Rd.
The motorcycle, a 2016 Harley Davidson, was splitting traffic in between the number 1 and number 2 lane (traffic lanes are counted left to right from center of road) at a speed significantly higher than other vehicle traffic. For an unknown reason, the motorcyclist locked up the rear brakes on the motorcycle, lost control, and rear ended a 2005 Ford sedan that was stopped in the number 2 lane for traffic. The motorcycle then bounced off the Ford and collided with a 2007 Nissan sedan in the number 1 lane, causing Gayda to be ejected. He died at the scene from his injuries.
The other two parties involved were both interviewed on scene and released. Based on the preliminary investigation, due to the conditions of the road at the time, speed was definitely a factor in this collision.