Highway 32 at speeds CHP officials estimated to be about 100 mph.The accident happened at 1
p.m. as John Paul Foshee, 24, of Chico, raced southbound toward
Highway 32 at speeds CHP officials estimated to be about 100 mph.
His brother Patrick Foshee, who was riding behind him on another bike,
told officers the victim popped a wheelie. As his front tire left the
roadway, the bike, a 900 cc Honda, went through a shallow irrigation
ditch filled with heavy brush, then traveled another 200 feet, where
it hit an almond tree.
Foshee was ejected from the bike and landed beside a second tree.
The bike continued another 115 feet. Debris from the machine was
scattered over a 100-foot swath.
CHP officer W.C. Beltz said there was no tire failure or other
obvious mechanical cause for the bike to go out of control.
Based on assessments at the scene, the bike came to rest more than
150 yards from where it first left the roadway.
Both brothers were wearing helmets and other protective gear.
Foshee was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical
personnel. The exact cause of death was not immediately determined.
The Enloe Medical Center FlightCare helicopter was dispatched, but
not used.
CHP investigating officer Sean Fischer said a 9-1-1 call from a
passerby was made at 1:03 p.m.
The caller, who is unidentified, was talking with Butte County
Fire/CDF dispatchers and attempting to render aid to Foshee, including
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, before CHP units arrived.
Charlene Holtz, a Nord resident, tried to comfort Patrick Foshee as
he talked hysterically to a relative on his cell phone moments after
the accident.
Holtz said she's witnessed motorcycle riders speeding in the area
on several occasions over the past few months.
She said her calls to the CHP and Butte County Sheriff's Office
have produced little response.
Holtz said she's seen up to 17 riders at a time using the stretch
of Nord Cana Highway between Highway 32 and Bell Road as a race strip.
Fischer said he's ticketed both riders in recent weeks for
excessive speed and popping wheelies. He said one brother was cited
for steering his bike with his feet while traveling at high speeds.
"It was just a matter of time before something like this happened,"
he said.
Patrick Foshee reportedly told officers he and his brother were
professional riders, but didn't elaborate.
The surviving brother was not injured, but was taken to Enloe by a
CHP officer for observation because of his distraught condition.
Holtz, a licensed motorcycle rider, drove the undamaged bike to her
home to keep it from being impounded.
The accident was still under investigation late Tuesday afternoon.
