![\"Manuel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/7fe44a77-e4e8-4aad-a574-2d45aeb3b4ce-A.png\")
(GoFundMe)<\/a>Manuel Hernandez Jr., 39, of Shafter, was killed in a crash between his motorcycle and an SUV Saturday night in Bakersfield.<\/p>\n\nThe Kern County Coroner\u2019s Office identified the victim as Manuel Hernandez Jr. of Shafter.<\/p>\n
\nBased on initial reports, Hernandez Jr. was riding his 2025 Kawasaki KX350 motorcycle northbound on Highway 99, heading toward the on-ramp to westbound Highway 58. Meanwhile, a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by a 36-year-old man crossed unsafely the solid white line separating the transition road from the on-ramp, CHP said. This maneuver caused the motorcycle to crash into the left side of the Chevrolet. Tragically, Hernandez Jr. was ejected from the bike and subsequently hit by multiple other vehicles. He died at the scene.<\/p>\n
\nA GoFundMe<\/a> has been created to help the victim\u2019s family during this difficult time.<\/p>\n \nThis is an ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n CRASH INVESTIGATION NEEDED<\/p>\n \nIn 2023, U.S. motorcycle fatalities reached a record 6,335, 15% of all traffic deaths, the deadliest year since 1975, per NHTSA. With a fatality rate of 31.39 per 100 million miles traveled, enhanced motorist education and road safety initiatives are critical to reducing preventable deaths.<\/p>\n \n\u201cMotorcyclists are among the most vulnerable road users,\u201d said Candice Bond, managing partner of Bond Legal. \u201cEven minor collisions can cause serious injuries, making caution essential for all motorists.\u201d<\/p>\n \nBond, an experienced motorcycle accident attorney, noted that in cases such as this, it is imperative to have an independent investigation into the crash conducted by a seasoned lawyer to protect the rights of the victim’s family.<\/p>\n \n\u201cBlind spots, inexperienced drivers, and distracted motorists often cause these types of collisions. Serving as an advocate, an attorney can help compassionately guide a family during this difficult time, protecting their rights while ensuring that a driver is held accountable if they do not obey traffic laws.\u201d<\/p>\n WRONGFUL DEATH CLAIM<\/p>\n \nPending the investigation, the family of Manuel Hernandez Jr. may be entitled to a wrongful death claim. Family members of wrongful death victims may seek damages for loss of companionship, pain and suffering, and emotional distress following a catastrophic accident such as this incident.<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe stress and sorrow can be extremely overwhelming after losing a loved one in an accident,\u201d said Stefano Formica, Of Counsel with Bond Legal.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe understand just what families are forced to go through, and having their rights protected is vital. A wrongful death lawyer will stay updated on the official investigation and help ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected.\u201d<\/p>\n (This report is based on verified data – learn more on our About Us<\/a> page.)<\/p>\n Have you been in a similar accident and need help? Speak to one of The Legal Advocate’s national legal analysts now free of charge for a no-obligation.<\/p>\n (Candice Bond, Managing Partner, and Stefano Formica, Of Counsel, at Bond Legal, are the national legal analysts for The Legal Advocate. The Legal Advocate can and does use quotes from prior interviews with our analysts for our news articles. If you would like to contact Bond Legal to help you, please call 866-599-0297<\/a> or use the submission box found on this page. Legal analysts quoted may or may not be licensed in your state).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Unsafe lane change leads to deadly crash on Highway 99 Saturday BAKERSFIELD, CA, (March 21, 2026) – A…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244325,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-244324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}