Published May 20, 2026 2:16 pm
CHP MML File Photo
Tuolumne County, CA—The CHP has released the name of the motorcycle rider who died after smashing into a tree on Highway 108 this past Friday (5/15/26).
The deceased is 26-year-old Samuel Wesley Barton from Ames, Iowa. As we reported here, while riding a 2013 Suzuki motorcycle westbound on the highway, east of Clarks Ford Road, the rider allowed the motorcycle to travel off the south shoulder, where it crashed into a tree, according to CHP officials. Barton was pronounced dead at the scene.
The CHP noted that alcohol or drugs are not suspected to be a factor in this crash, which remains under investigation.
Written by Tracey Petersen.
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