Excessive speed cited as cause of traffic collision that resulted in two deaths

Memorial for two Shoreline men who died in crash
Photo by Mike Remarcke

By Diane Hettrick

The Washington State Patrol, the investigating agency for Wednesday's collision on SR 104 which resulted in two deaths, has cited excessive speed as the cause.

"This collision was directly related to excessive speed and this tragedy could have been avoided."

Three motorcyclists, two men and a woman, were traveling east on NE 205th St (SR 104) in Shoreline just before 7pm on Wednesday, July 11, 2018. They had a green light at Meridian, where they were already traveling at a high rate of speed.

A 55 year old man from Indianapolis driving an SUV was making a legal left turn from the westbound highway turn lane to 1st Ave NE when first one and then the other male motorcyclist ran into him. The female was able to avoid the collision.

The impact was so great that the SUV was deeply dented and spun around, landing with its back to the Echo Lake mural. The motorcyclists were thrown through the air. One landed on the grassy hillside of Ballinger Commons. The other landed on the highway, where he was hit by a pickup truck.

Both died.

The first motorcycle to hit landed across two lanes of eastbound NE 205th and caught on fire. The other landed on the sidewalk on the east side of NE 205th. Both motorcycles were 2009 Suzuki GSX-R750.

There were many witnesses and others who happened on the scene just after the impacts, who ran to the aid of the victims.

The men, both 26, were Shoreline Richmond Beach residents and Shorewood graduates. Adrian Simpkins 26, and David Ishkanov 26. Ishkanov was an EMT and known to many as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Dale Turner YMCA. Simpkins worked for a local video game developer.

Both had many friends, who gathered at the accident site on Wednesday night to leave flowers and mementos and hold a candlelight vigil which went into the early morning hours.

The third motorcyclist and the driver of the SUV were not injured.

The state patrol issued a press release pleading for motorcyclists to drive responsibly and for motorists to be extremely alert for motorcycles.

"Since May 1, 2018 in King County alone, there have been 34 collisions involving motorcycles. Out of this number 17 were injury, 3 were serious injury and 3 now were fatal collisions. 

"It is imperative that motorcycle riders ride responsibly, especially when it comes to adhering to the speed limit. Motorcycles are more difficult to see by other vehicles on the roadway and speed decreases the reaction time of every driver/rider. 

"The WSP also wants to remind vehicle drivers to be extremely alert as motorcycles are harder to see and can easily be completely in their blind spot. Make an extra check in the mirrors when changing lanes to avoid any potential collisions. 

"The Washington State Patrol wants to challenge all drivers/riders to be respectful and responsible during this beautiful time of year and beyond so more tragedies can be avoided."