Pickup Sideswipes, Kills Motorcyclist on Ventura Freeway

A pickup truck struck and killed a North Hollywood motorcyclist Tuesday on the Ventura Freeway in Burbank, leading to a multicar crash that snarled traffic for about three hours during morning rush hour, California Highway Patrol officers said.

A pickup truck that had been on the shoulder of the freeway near Pass Avenue moved into the slow lane about 6:15 a.m., Officer Tom Colman said, sideswiping George Petsaropoulous, 36, on his motorcycle.

When a tractor-trailer swerved to avoid the motorcyclist, it collided with a limousine. The driver of another auto lost control, skidded sideways, and was struck by the limousine, the officer said.

Petsaropoulous was pronounced dead at the scene of multiple injuries, Colman said.

A passenger in the limousine, Morton Goldberg, 57, of Encino was treated at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank for a back injury and was in good condition, hospital spokesman Hugh Reed said.

Two to three lanes were blocked by the accident during rush-hour traffic, Colman said. The lanes were cleared and traffic was back to normal by 9 a.m..