Accident victim identified

A motorcyclist who was critically injured Saturday evening, Oct. 1, on Highway 9 has been identified.
Mitchell Harley Davis, 64, of Santa Cruz, apparently lost control of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle at about 6:50 p.m. Saturday. The solo crash occurred just north of Keystone Avenue near the entrance to Paradise Park.
California Highway Patrol public information officer Sarah Jackson said the cause of the accident is still under investigation, but witnesses at the scene said it appeared the motorcycle hit a rock in the roadway. Davis was not cited for any traffic, vehicle or equipment violations.
Santa Cruz Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Rob Young responded to the scene and said the motorcyclist was unconscious when his crew arrived at about 7 p.m. Fire crews provided medical assistance at the scene before sending Davis by ambulance to Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, from where he was transferred by helicopter to Stanford Hospital. His condition was first reported to be critical, but officials at Stanford would not release any other information. He was still at the hospital as of Wednesday, Oct. 5.
Young, who lives in Ben Lomond and frequently rides his bicycle on Highway 9, said that part of the highway is not especially prone to debris on the roadway, but that rocks and fallen branches can show up anywhere along the rural route.
In an unrelated incident that tied up traffic last week on Highway 9 between Felton and Ben Lomond, Alex Vestner, 48, of Boulder Creek, was seriously injured when he crashed his bicycle Sept. 28 near Brackney Road. Vestner, who was not wearing a helmet, was arrested on suspicion of riding while intoxicated and was taken to Dominican Hospital. He has since been released from the hospital.