PORT ANGELES — A 19-year-old woman who died late Thursday afternoon was the fifth motorcyclist to be killed or injured in a motorcycle crash in Clallam and Jefferson counties since mid-May.
Three were injured and one killed in a four-day period between June 17 and Thursday.
Brooke L. Bedinger of Sequim died at the scene at about 5 p.m. Thursday on U.S. Highway 101 at the bottom of the Morse Creek curve east of Port Angeles.
Bedinger was a Sequim Boys & Girls Club member for 10 years, from the fall of 2006 through 2016 when she graduated from Sequim High School, club staff said Friday.
Janet Gray, Boys & Girls Club resource development director, said over the years Brooke would pop into her office from time to time to say hello and catch up. Gray said she loved music and participated in the Sequim High School choir.
“We were lucky at the club to have known Brooke and to have spent some time with her,” Gray said. “I took a liking to Brooke and she’d visit me in my office and keep me posted on what was going on in her life.”
The mishap was first reported to authorities at 5:03 p.m.
Bedinger died at the scene after her westbound 2016 Harley Davidson XL883 went into oncoming traffic, said Trooper Chelsea Hodgson, State Patrol spokeswoman.
Bedinger lost control of the bike and it slid across the center line in front of an eastbound 2006 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Tyler K. Michalscheck, 22, 0f Port Angeles, who was not injured, Hodgson said.
The State Patrol said drugs or alcohol were not involved.
Deputy Clallam County Coroner Tellina Sandaine said Friday that an autopsy will not be conducted.
Hodgson said wreck is under investigation.
One westbound lane of Highway 101 at the scene of the accident was open at 5:36 p.m. Thursday.
The State Patrol declared the scene cleared at 10:13 p.m.
A lantern vigil was scheduled to be held Friday evening at Ediz Hook.
A GoFundMe account, https://www.gofundme.com/b-bedinger, has been established to help pay for funeral expenses.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
Erin Hawkins, who contributed to this story, is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at ehawkins@sequim gazette.com.
