A motorcycle crashed Saturday afternoon on Soledad Canyon Road, about a half-mile east of Highway 14, leaving one man dead and one woman in critical condition, according to law enforcement officials.

Joel Renteria, 30, of Lancaster, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

His passenger, Sera Anderson, 21, of Lancaster, was transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, after sustaining serious to critical injuries in the crash, officials said.

While traveling northbound on Soledad Canyon, the motorcycle veered across  double-yellow  lines  in the center of the road and struck a metal guard rail bordering the west shoulder of the road, according to the CHP report.

The cause of the crash is not known at this time.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies also responded to the scene, but the investigation is being handled by the California Highway Patrol, according Sgt. Dan Peacock of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.