Motorcyclist hits landscaping worker in Costa Mesa; both are seriously hurt

Two people were hospitalized when a motorcyclist struck a man standing by the side of the road Friday morning in Costa Mesa, according to authorities.

Witnesses said the motorcycle was headed east on Anton Boulevard about 7:30 a.m. when the rider swerved right to pass a car just before the intersection with Sakioka Drive, Costa Mesa fire Capt. Chris Coates said.

The motorcyclist then reportedly sideswiped a landscaping truck that was parked on the side of the road and careened into an employee of the landscaping company who’d been standing outside the truck, Coates said.

Paramedics took the motorcyclist and the landscaper to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana. Both were in serious condition, Coates said.

The Costa Mesa Police Major Accident Investigation Team also went to the scene and closed all eastbound lanes of Anton Boulevard between Avenue of the Arts and Sakioka Drive.

The Anton Boulevard lanes were expected to reopen about 10 a.m., Costa Mesa police Lt. Vic Bakkila estimated.