Head-on collision kills motorcyclist Sunday, lands Mason County man in jail

A 35-year-old Belfair man died in a head-on motorcycle crash on Sunday on State Route 3 near Fair Harbor in Mason County.

The SUV driver who hit him was arrested and booked into the Mason County Jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide. Washington State Patrol troopers believe he was driving under the influence.

According to a WSP news release, the 34-year-old Allyn man was driving south at 5:06 p.m. on SR 3 near milepost 18 when he crossed the center line and struck the motorcyclist head on. The SUV rolled onto its top into the northbound ditch, and the motorcycle landed in the southbound ditch, leaving its rider in the northbound lane.

WSP trooper Katherine Weathewax said on social media the accident blocked both directions of traffic for some time, and traffic was diverted through Grapeview Loop Road. The Mason County Coroner could not be immediately reached for verification of the Port Orchard man’s identity.

This story was originally published June 12, 2023 at 10:02 AM.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

360-357-0201

Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription