Kent motorcyclist killed in collision with van; man identified

A Kent man driving this motorcycle was killed Monday night in Kent after a collision with a van along South 212th Street. - COURTESY PHOTO, Kent Police
COURTESY PHOTO, Kent Police
A Kent man driving this motorcycle was killed Monday night in Kent after a collision with a van along South 212th Street.

By STEVE HUNTER
Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter
September 26, 2012 · 10:27 AM

A collision with a van killed a 33-year-old Kent motorcyclist at about 10:15 p.m. Monday in the 8400 block of South 212th Street.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as Richard Eastwood.

The incident started when a 44-year-old Kent man driving a van westbound on South 212th Street started a left turn toward a nearby convenience store, according to a Kent Police media release. As he did so, he crossed the path of a motorcycle traveling eastbound on South 212th Street. The motorcycle collided with the front bumper of the van, ejecting Eastwood who landed on the street.

Eastwood was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. Paramedics worked to revive him at the scene but were unsuccessful. The driver of the van was uninjured and remained at the scene with investigators.

Kent Police traffic investigators closed a section of South 212th Street for several hours while conducting their investigation. While there was no evidence of reckless driving leading up to the crash and investigators did not identify any mechanical factors contributing to the collision, they are evaluating whether alcohol may have played a part in the accident.

Police expect to keep the investigation open while forensic testing and event reconstruction is completed.

Eastwood is the second motorcyclist killed in Kent in the last month. David Daniel, 55, died in an Aug. 22 wreck in the Panther Lake area after a collision with a car.


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Contact Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter Steve Hunter at shunter@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5052.

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