Motorcyclist Faces DUI Charge After Crash

A San Rafael man wiped out on his motorcycle Sunday night in Novato and now faces a possible DUI charge, authorities said.

Emergency calls were placed at 8:55 p.m. for a motorcyclist down on the Highway 101 offramp of Bel Marin Keys Boulevard, just off Nave Drive in the Hamilton area, Novato Fire District Captain Alex Bowlds said. The man had lost control of his bike and laid it down, then flipped over a guardrail and onto a grassy area, CHP officer Andrew Barclay said. The motorcycle came to rest in the offramp lanes.

The man, identified as Gary Mehrtens, 58, of San Rafael, was not seriously hurt but was transported to Marin General Hospital with back pain and another problems, Bowlds said.

"We believe alcohol was a factor," Barclay said. 

Barclay said the cause of the crash is under investigation.