Motorcyclist killed by boat Mark Burris, 34,...

Motorcyclist killed by boat

Mark Burris, 34, of Huntington Beach was killed Monday by a

run-away boat while riding his motorcycle during rush hour traffic on

the Costa Mesa Freeway.

The boat, which was being towed on a trailer behind a 16-foot

U-Haul truck, came loose and swerved left across several lanes of

northbound traffic at 8:30 a.m. Monday, California Highway Patrol Lt.

John Marinez said.

First it collided with a 1999 Toyota driven by Hien Nghien, 31, of

Irvine, causing minor damage and no injuries. The boat and trailer

then collided with the motorcyclist and came to rest against the

center divider wall near the McFadden Avenue off-ramp approaching the

intersection with the Santa Ana Freeway in Tustin, Marinez said.

Burris, who was on a 2000 Triumph motorcycle, died on the scene.

“[The driver of the U-Haul] got out of his truck and ran back to

the victim who lay on the center divider,” Marinez said. “According

to witnesses, he became hysterical and ran back to his truck and fled

the scene.”

Paramedics arrived quickly at the scene and administered medical

treatment but the injuries were too severe, he said.

Police are still looking for the driver, who has been described as

a white man about 5-foot-10 and weighing about 210 pounds. He has

tanned skin, dark hair and a small goatee, Marinez said. The man is

wanted on felony charges, he said.

“It was already bad, but he has made it worse by fleeing the

scene,” Marinez said.

The boat was registered in the name of Pablo Sanz of Costa Mesa,

who said he had sold the boat, Marinez said. An alert has been placed

on the U-Haul truck, which has not been returned. Police are

conducting a mechanical inspection on the boat and trailer to

ascertain why it came loose.

Depending on the facts that are collected, the man could be

charged with manslaughter or second-degree murder, Marinez said.

The accident caused a major back-up on the freeway that lasted

about three hours.