2 killed in motorcycle versus Tesla crash in Santa Cruz mountains

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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Two people were killed when the motorcycle they were riding crashed head-on with a Tesla on a highway in the Santa Cruz mountains on Saturday.

California Highway Patrol officers responded just after 4:45 p.m. on Saturday to State Route 9, just south of State Route 35, on reports of the crash, according to a department statement.

At the scene, officers learned that an 18-year-old woman driving a Tesla Model 3 was traveling northbound on State Route 9 "at an undetermined speed" when she crashed into a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was driving southbound on State Route 9, according to the CHP.

The CHP said the 61-year-old man and 59-year-old woman who were riding the motorcycle were ejected from the bike onto the roadway.

"As a result of the crash, both occupants of the Harley-Davidson were declared deceased despite life-saving efforts by medical personnel at the scene," the CHP reported. "The driver of the Tesla was not injured."

The identities of the victims riding the motorcycle were not released.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the CHP said it is currently not known whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.