Local man dies in Harley motorbike crash

A Costa Mesa man was killed late Thursday in a motorcycle accident a few miles outside of Orange County, after his vehicle flipped over an asphalt curb.

Mark Keith Thurston, 41, was riding a Harley-Davidson westbound on Santiago Canyon Road about 11:45 p.m. when he veered to the right and struck a curb with his front wheel. A spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol said Thurston had been going at about 70 mph.

Thurston was pronounced dead at the scene from severe, blunt head trauma. He was wearing a helmet.

Thurston and his motorcycle had tumbled down a dirt embankment after striking the curb.

The Orange County Coroner’s Office said a study would be done to determine whether Thurston had been under the influence of an intoxicant at the time of the crash.