63-year-old Motorcyclist Dies in Hit-and-run Crash in Lake Elsinore

A 63-year-old motorcyclist was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Lake Elsinore over the weekend, authorities said. The victim was identified as Donald Berg, a father of two and grandfather of five from Sun City.

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Berg was riding his 2006 Yamaha Star motorcycle northbound on I-15, near Railroad Canyon Road, around 9 p.m. on Saturday, September 9, when he was rear-ended by an unknown vehicle. The impact threw him 20 feet off his bike and left him lying on the pavement.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Berg did not stop to help him and fled the scene. The CHP is seeking help from the public to locate the suspect, who is believed to be driving a newer-model Jeep Gladiator. Pieces of the car were found at the scene by the investigators.

Berg’s family members are pleading with the driver to turn themselves in and face justice. They described Berg as a jack of all trades with an amazing sense of humor who would do anything for his family.

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“I thought I was gonna have my brother around for many more years to see his nice smile and hear a joke from him,” said Berg’s sister Diane Beckham. “Make them accountable. Who knows, have they done this before, Maybe they were a drunk driver and they hit him,” said Debra Berg, another sister of Donald. “You can’t just kill somebody and take off like that,” she added.

Berg’s family also expressed their gratitude to the other drivers who stopped and risked their own safety to divert traffic around Berg as he lay on the road, using their phone flashlights on the dark freeway. “I want to thank those people that stopped by to help him,” said Douglas Berg, Donald’s brother. “Appreciate them,” he said.

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