Washington State Patrol Releases Details of Fatal I-5 Crash

The Washington State Patrol released all the details of a wrong-way chase on I-5 of a motorcycle that ended in a fatal crash.

WSP Releases Details of the Fatal Motorcycle Chase on I-5

Last Thursday morning (February 13, 2025), a routine traffic stop on I-5 turned into a tragedy after a motorcyclist made dangerous choices that ultimately cost him his life. It started when a Washington State Patrol trooper tried to pull over the motorcycle speeding on I-5 near Bow Hill. Instead of stopping, the rider took off at a high rate of speed southbound on I-5. Then he exited the freeway only to immediately get back on but going the wrong way, heading north on the southbound lanes.

The trooper followed the motorcycle for a while, but once the rider entered the wrong lanes of traffic, they decided to end the pursuit for safety reasons. The trooper soon spotted the bike again and tried to pull it over a second time. Like before the bike refused to stop, re-entering I-5 and continuing northbound in the southbound lanes the wrong way. The trooper gave up the chase again, because of safety.

Troopers soon got reports of a bad accident near the Skagit River Bridge. The motorcycle had hit part of the bridge, throwing the rider off the bike. Then an oncoming semi-truck hit him in the road. The man was pronounced dead at the scene when officers arrived. Thankfully, no one else was hurt in the crash.

This sad accident shows how dangerous it is to run from the police, both for the public and the person doing the running. A decision that seemed like a quick way to escape a big ticket, quicly became their last decicion. A simple traffic ticket no matter how big the fine might be, isn’t worth risking your life or the lives of innocent others.