Motorcyclist dead after crashing into car, being hit by Metro train in Long Beach, police say

by Fernando Haro Garcia




A motorcyclist died Wednesday evening after being hit by a Metro train in Downtown Long Beach, authorities said.

Authorities say 27-year-old Mathew Steven Loayza was driving a 2014 Triumph motorcycle northbound on Long Beach Boulevard near Eighth Street just before 6 p.m. when he tried to pass a 2015 Honda Civic on its driver’s side.

Instead, Loayza struck the bumper of the Honda Civic, which thrust him into the path of the Metro train that was traveling in the opposite direction, according to police.


Loayza died at the scene, police said. The driver of the Honda Civic remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, police said.

Police said they’re investigating whether speed and impaired driver were factors in the crash.

Long Beach resident Bethania Palma said she was aboard the crowded A Line on her way home from work when the train suddenly jolted.

The Metro train driver then slowed to a stop and let some people get off, she said.

Palma said that’s when she saw the motorcycle under the train’s front undercarriage.

“There was no helping him,” she said. “It was very apparent … nobody was thinking this guy survived. People were walking away in tears.”

Palma says she believes this death could have been prevented had there been more safety barriers installed along the train’s path in the Downtown area.

“I don’t understand why there’s no physical barrier to stop this from happening,” Palma said. “The traffic is so close to the train, there’s nothing, maybe a two-inch cement curb … If there was some sort of barrier there, he would’ve had a chance.”

In a statement, Metro said it extended its “heartfelt condolences” to Loayza’s family and they were working closely with LBPD to investigate the crash.