UPDATE: Fatal Accident on Calaveras Road

Editor's note: The article has been updated as of Feb. 8.

On a clear sunny day, motorcyclist Edward Tyler, 69, was navigating twists and turns in the hills above Milpitas on Saturday afternoon. But it is unknown what caused him to plunged about 30 feet to his death.

"He didn't try to swerve or brake," wrote Marianne Tuttle, who was riding with her husband and Tyler at the time. "He simply zigged when the road zagged."

"We don't know," she wrote in the comments section below, "but we believe he may have had a stroke or a heart attack and blacked out before he hit that barbed wire fence."

The incident, reported about 12:30 p.m., brought California Highway Patrol officers to an unincorporated area outside the Milpitas border on Calaveras Road north of Felter Road. 

Those who knew him say Tyler was an experienced rider who had handled more difficult roads than Calaveras. So when he drove through a fence with his 1999 Harley-Davidson Sportster, it was a surprise.

"He was a good man and I miss him terribly," said Tuttle.

Tyler had not taken medication that morning nor was under the influence of alcohol, according to Tuttle. 

Tyler is believed to be a resident of Twain Harte, in the Sierra Nevada foothills. According to the 2000 census, about 2,586 residents live there.

There were no other vehicles involved in the crash. Calaveras Road was closed in both directions in the area for 2½ hours, CHP officer Scott Cakebread said. 

The road, which has scenic views of hills and the Calaveras Reservoir, is popular with cyclists and motorcyclists on the weekends.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.