QUILCENE — A Renton man was listed in critical condition in a Seattle hospital Tuesday after a Monday afternoon wreck at U.S. Highway 101 and Fish Hatchery Road, 2 miles south of Quilcene.
William S. Luce, 64, is in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center, where he was airlifted after receiving treatment from Quilcene Fire and Rescue personnel at the scene of the crash at about 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Luce was attempting to pass illegally on his motorcycle when he struck a car turning left out of the northbound lane, according to the State Patrol.
The car, a 2003 Subaru Legacy, was driven by David Burrows, 76, of Port Townsend. Neither he nor his passengers — Jacqueline Burrows, 74, of Port Townsend and Keith Furlonger, 73, and Mary Furlonger, 70, both of Buckingham Shire, United Kingdom — were injured, the State Patrol said.
All of the occupants of the Subaru were wearing their seat belts.
The State Patrol said Luce had illegally passed multiple vehicles that had slowed behind David Burrows, who had stopped to turn left, and that Luce struck the left rear of Burrows’ vehicle as he turned.
The area near the Quilcene River Bridge, where the wreck took place, is striped as a no-passing zone, according to Trooper Russ Winger, State Patrol spokesman.
“I talked to an investigator yesterday and there will likely be charges, though I’m not sure exactly what they will be,” Winger said.
“It was definitely an illegal area to pass.”
Winger said charges will be decided after the conclusion of the investigation and pending Luce’s recovery.
Luce’s motorcycle was destroyed and was impounded, while Burrows’ Subaru was damaged and towed from the scene.
The wreck stopped traffic for longer than an hour in both north- and southbound lanes on Highway 101.
The case remained under investigation Tuesday.
It was not known if drugs or alcohol was a factor.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5550, or at cmcfarland@peninsula dailynews.com.
