Fatal crash on Highway 29 near Yountville under investigation
The Saturday crash on Highway 29 south of Yountville that took the life of a motorcycle rider remains under investigation, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The motorcyclist, identified as Francisco Bernard Padilla, 35, of Vacaville, was riding a 2019 KTM Duke, southbound on Highway 29, when the motorcycle and a 2018 Tesla Model X collided at around 4 p.m. near Hoffman Lane, authorities said.
Padilla died at the scene, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses said the motorcyclist was traveling at a high rate of speed when he broadsided the Tesla that was crossing the southbound lanes from Hoffman Lane to make a left-hand turn onto northbound Highway 29, according to the CHP. The driver of the Tesla, identified as Collin Smikle of Oakland, was uninjured.
The crash remains under investigation to determine who was at fault, according to the CHP. It is unclear if drugs or alcohol played a factor in the crash.
Southbound Highway 29 was closed for about three hours.
