San Diego Saddletramps involved in fatal collision . .

OFF THE WIRE
By Pauline Repard
Names of the deceased are not available yet . . .
Lakeside motorcycle club was involved in Imperial County crash that killed 5
6 injured as well in state Route 98 collision on desert road
IMPERIAL COUNTY — Four motorcyclists traveling in a group from the Lakeside area and a passenger in a car were killed Saturday in a collision that also injured six others east of Ocotillo in Imperial County, authorities said.

The names of those killed and injured were not released.

The motorcyclists belong to the Saddletramps motorcycle club in Lakeside, said California Highway Patrol Officer Deeann Goudie. She said many of the riders were from the Lakeside, Alpine and El Cajon areas.
The accident occurred about 1 p.m. seven miles east of Ocotillo on state Route 98, a two-lane desert highway south of Interstate 8.
Goudie said that an eastbound gold Honda Civic went into the westbound lane to pass a dozen motorcyclists also going east. A westbound Dodge Avenger driver saw the Honda in his lane and swerved onto the sandy shoulder to avoid a collision. The Dodge then veered out of control back onto the pavement and collided with some of the motorcyclists.
The sedan driver suffered major injuries and his female passenger was killed. Both were from Mexico.
Two male and two female motorcyclists were dead before paramedics got there, said Capt. Peter Stanton of the Imperial County Fire Department. Five others were injured, one critically.
A husband and wife riding on one motorcycle were among those killed, as was the wife of another rider who was badly injured, Goudie said.
She said at least six of the 12 motorcycles became involved in the collision.
One motorcycle caught fire and a firefighter used a fire extinguisher on the flames.
Goudie said the Honda that caused the incident by trying to pass did not stop, and authorities were looking for the driver.
The Saddletramps website indicates the club marked its 10-year anniversary this month and plans to take part in a San Diego toy run on Nov. 28.
Goudie said additional members of the Saddletramps who learned about the collision arrived at the scene later to support those who survived. The club president helped identify the deceased, she said.
The CHP closed the highway between county road S2 in Ocotillo to Drew Road several miles to the east during an investigation that stretched into the night. The road was to remain closed until early Sunday for further investigation, Goudie said.
Goudie said two medical helicopters landed on the highway and each flew one male patient to UCSD Medical Center in San Diego. Four ambulances took injured patients to hospitals in El Centro and Brawley, but three of those patients then were transferred to UCSD Medical Center, while one man was treated for minor injuries and released.
Teri Klemchuk of the San Diego-Imperial County Red Cross said that a canteen truck was en route to the scene at 4:30 p.m., with food and water for the first responders and victims.
Stanton said at least a half-dozen CHP officers were assisted by two Imperial Valley County sheriff’s deputies, about eight Border Patrol agents and three from the Bureau of Land Management.