Motorcyclist seriously hurt in high-speed crash in Costa Mesa

An 18-year-old motorcyclist was in critical condition after a high-speed crash on a Costa Mesa street Tuesday evening, police said.

The man was riding a 2015 KTM motorcycle at high speed west on Baker Street at about 7:30 p.m., Costa Mesa police spokesman Lt. Greg Scott said.

As he approached the intersection with Coolidge Avenue, a Chevy Tahoe in front of him in the same lane began turning right, police said.

As the motorcyclist passed the SUV, the motorcycle glanced off the SUV’s passenger side and then crashed into a Nissan Sentra that was stopped at the red light on Coolidge Avenue waiting to turn right onto Baker, police said.

Paramedics took the motorcyclist to a trauma center in Santa Ana to treat a broken left leg, a possible skull fracture and other internal injuries, Scott said.

The rider was scheduled to undergo surgery, police said Tuesday night, but they had no update on his condition Wednesday morning.

Nobody else was hurt in the crash.

Police said they questioned and released the 81-year-old driver of the Tahoe and the 46-year-old driver of the Sentra. Neither appeared impaired, police said.

Authorities still are investigating the crash. Anyone with information should contact Traffic Investigator Darren Wood at (714) 754-5264, police said.