A motorcyclist died and four other people were injured Wednesday in a four-vehicle wreck on U.S. 101 in Thurston County.
The incident occurred before 1 p.m. near Mud Bay Road, according to a press memo from Washington State Patrol.
A 41-year-old Rochester man driving a Chevy pickup truck reportedly struck a motorcyclist who was slowing for traffic in lane one of the highway. The motorcycle then crashed into a Nissan hatchback which in turn collided with a Honda sports utility vehicle, according to a WSP memo.
The motorcyclist, a 46-year-old Olympia man, wore a helmet but died at the scene. The memo says first responders transported four people from the hatchback to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia with injuries.
Those in the hatchback included a 40-year-old Yelm man, 23-year-old Yelm man, a 44-year-old McKenna man and a 55-year-old man from Newport News, Virginia. All of them reportedly wore their seat belts.
A 45-year-old Puyallup man who drove the Honda and the Rochester man who drove the Chevy were not injured, according to the memo. Both of them wore seat belts.
WSP reported that the highway was closed for two hours and 44 minutes after the crash. The memo says the Chevy pickup truck and the motorcycle were both totaled in the collision.
The cause of the collision is listed as "following too close" in the memo. Troopers don't believe drugs or alcohol were involved.
