Olympia motorcyclist killed Thursday in Tacoma wreck has been identified

An Olympia man died at the scene of a Thursday afternoon wreck on Interstate 5 in Tacoma, according to the Washington State Patrol.

About 2:20 p.m. Thursday, Joshua L. Reno, 46, was headed north on I-5 in the area of 56th Street in Tacoma. Troopers say he was “lane splitting between lanes three and four” on the freeway.

Meanwhile, a 21-year-old Tacoma woman was also driving north in her 2015 Ford Fusion. Troopers say she changed lanes and struck Reno, sending him into the left shoulder freeway barrier. He died at the scene, according to State Patrol.

The man’s family was notified by a trooper and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, according to the memo released about the crash.

Following the crash, I-5 was blocked for more than two hours.

This story was originally published August 24, 2025 at 10:25 AM.