Motorcyclist Dies After Racing Into Steel Fence

A Simi Valley man who raced his motorcycle down a dead-end street at a speed of up to 100 m.p.h. died after crashing into a steel fence, police said Thursday.

The accident occurred at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday at Sequoia Avenue and Fitzgerald Road in Simi Valley. Joseph Donato, 19, and his friend, James Kelly, 23, of Van Nuys, sped their motorcycles south on Sequoia for about a quarter mile, police Lt. Neal Rein said. They were unable to stop at the fence blocking the end of the road.

Donato, who suffered major head injuries, was transported to Simi Valley Adventist Hospital where he died at 5:30 p.m.

Kelly, who was traveling at a slower speed when he struck the fence, escaped injury, Rein said.

Neither man was wearing a helmet. “Whether or not it would have made a difference, no one knows,” Rein said. “But it sure wouldn’t have hurt.”