SEQUIM — A wheel that came loose from a black Chevrolet truck led to the death of a motorcyclist Sunday on U.S. Highway 101.
Troopers at the scene said the tire that came off was new and had been put on Saturday.
The crash caused a four-hour closure of Highway 101 from Sequim Avenue to Happy Valley Road, funneling Mother’s Day traffic into downtown Sequim.
Police also blocked off the East Washington Street entrance to Highway 101.
The dead motorcyclist was identified as Jonathan Todd Boyd, 39, of Issaquah.
At about 1 p.m. Sunday, the full-size Chevrolet pickup driven by Mary Kristina Peterson, 24, of Port Angeles was headed eastbound near the intersection of Happy Valley Road and Highway 101 when the left front wheel came off and rolled into the westbound lane.
Boyd, headed west on a 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 motorcycle, tried to avoid the tire, said State Patrol Sgt. Brett Yacklin.
The motorcyclist swerved into the eastbound lane and collided head-on with a white Jeep Cherokee driven by Tia Nicole Kurtz, 23, of Port Angeles.
His body vaulted over the Jeep’s hood, Yacklin said, and hit the pavement several feet away.
Boyd was dead when troopers arrived.
