A Palm Springs man was pronounced dead at the scene of a traffic collision Sunday afternoon in Mountain Center.
Timothy Brunner, 58, was riding a white 2000 Harley-Davidson Softtail at 3:50 p.m. eastbound on Highway 74 one-tenth of a mile west of Keen Camp Road when he entered a right-hand curve at 40 mph, too fast for the turn, according to California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer.
Meyer said Brunner crossed the double-yellow lines and the motorcycle went down, ejecting Brunner, who slid under the front of a white 2006 Dodge Ram pickup driven by James Kutsch, 66, of Mountain Center.
A contributing factor to Brunner’s death was that he was wearing a “novelty” helmet, Meyer said. A novelty helmet is a fake-shell helmet and is not California Department of Transportation-approved, he said. “I wouldn’t let my kid ride a bicycle with this helmet,” said Meyer.
Kutsch was not injured in the crash.
