DISCOVERY BAY — A Port Angeles man was airlifted to a Seattle hospital Thursday after a motorcycle wreck on state Highway 104 near the junction with U.S. Highway 101.
Harborview Medical Center did not immediately return a call requesting the condition of the motorcyclist, Phillip Charles Jr., 70.
Trooper Russ Winger, State Patrol spokesman, said Charles was heading east on his 2006 Harley-Davidson bike at about 1 p.m. when an oncoming car swung into his lane to pass another car.
Charles was riding behind fellow motorcyclist Randall Miller, 54, of Port Angeles.
Miller slowed to avoid the car, Winger said, while Charles lost control of his bike and was thrown from it, hitting Miller’s bike from behind.
The car struck neither motorcycle, Winger said.
Miller’s motorcycle stayed upright, Winger added, and he was not injured.
Medic crews from East Jefferson Fire-Rescue took Charles to Discovery Bay, from where he was airlifted to Harborview, Winger said.
“We are not expecting it to be fatal, but [he had] serious injuries,” Winger said.
Winger said the State Patrol is not seeking the car at this time, adding that the pass appeared to be legal.
“We may at some later time, [but] at this point, no,” he said.
The wreck and ensuing State Patrol investigation congested traffic on both lanes of Highway 104 from about 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Thursday, according to the state Department of Transportation.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@
peninsuladailynews.com.
