QUILCENE — A Brinnon man was killed Wednesday when his motorcycle slammed into a car on U.S. Highway 101 at the Big Quilcene River bridge.
Michael J. Hockett, 48, died at the scene.
He is the 16th fatality on North Olympic Peninsula highways and roads since Jan. 1.
The wreck happened about 6:15 p.m. when Hockett tried to pass a car in front of him while southbound on U.S. 101 toward Brinnon, State Patrol Sgt. Ken Przygocki said.
Perry O. Stupy, 85, of Amado, Ariz., slowed down his 1980 Chevrolet truck in front of Hockett before they reached the bridge.
Hockett attempted to pass the slower vehicle just before the bridge, but did not have enough room to make the pass, Przygocki said.
“It appears to have been a bad pass,” he said.
Hockett clipped the front driver side of an oncoming car, the sergeant said.
Todd J. Pehowski was driving the 2003 Honda Element into which Hockett’s 1984 Harley-Davidson motorcycle crashed.
“He just flew out of there so fast I didn’t have time to react,” Pehowski said after the wreck.
