Man killed in I-5 crash

Bakersfield victim, 61, was pronounced dead at the scene

A motorcyclist was struck and killed by a car on Interstate 5, south of Newhall, early Thursday morning, causing long delays for morning commuters making their way through the Newhall Pass.

The motorcyclist was identified as 61-yearold Kent Kauffman, of Bakersfield, by Kelly Yagerlener, of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.

The fatal crash happened shortly before 5:25 a.m. Thursday on the southbound lanes of I-5 at Interstate 210, California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Preissman told The Signal Thursday.

The motorcyclist was travelling southbound on I-5 in the car pool lane on a 2014 BMW motorcycle, north of Balboa Boulevard, when the collision occurred, according to report prepared by California Highway Patrol Officer Michael Averbeck, investigating the crash.

The motorcyclist was following a 2004 Chrysler Aspen driven by Timothy Jones of Palmdale, Averbeck wrote in his report.

“As traffic was slowing ahead, Jones began to slow his vehicle. For unknown reasons, party 1 (motorcyclist) failed to slow down for traffic ahead and the motorcycle collided with the rear of the Aspen,” Averbeck wrote.

The motorcyclist suffered fatal injuries as a result of this collision and succumbed to those injuries at the scene.

Emergency response crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to the crash.