Motorcyclist killed in late-night SLO County crash
A motorcyclist was killed in a fatal crash in northern San Luis Obispo County late Sunday night.
At 9:32 p.m., California Highway Patrol officers responded to a traffic collision between a motorcycle and a sedan on eastbound Highway 46, just east of Geneseo Road, a CHP news release said.
According to the CHP, Visalia resident Russell Palomino, 47, was driving a 2024 Harley-Davidson, heading east on the highway, at a “high rate of speed.”
At the same time, Shandon resident Antonio Hernandez, 21, was driving a 2019 Toyota Corolla also going east on Highway 46 in the No. 2 lane. Hernandez was driving ahead of the motorcycle at a speed over 65 mph, according to the release.
Due to Palomino’s speed, CHP said the front of his motorcycle struck the back of the sedan, causing the two vehicles to crash.
The sedan “traveled out of control,” moving into westbound traffic lanes on Highway 46 before resting on the westbound right shoulder of the roadway, the release said.
Palomino was ejected from his motorcycle and sustained fatal injuries from the crash, according to the CHP. None of the four people driving in the sedan were injured in the collision.
“It is unknown at this time if drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in this crash,” CHP said in the release.
The agency’s Templeton office was investigating the fatal collision, according to the release.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 9:24 AM.
