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Biker dies in crash after anti-helmet gathering
WAPATO -- A motorcycle rider returning from a rally by a group opposing the state's mandatory helmet law died after crashing into a pickup truck on U.S. 97 outside this lower Yakima Valley town.
Alcohol was suspected in the death of Jason Irvine, 27, of Yakima, who was wearing a helmet while returning from an annual rally at the Toppenish fairgrounds by American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, or ABATE, Washington State Patrol Lt. James W. Keightley said.
A rally representative would not comment to the Yakima Herald-Republic. According to ABATE's Web site, the group does not advocate riding without a helmet, only that riders be given a choice.
Irvine and another biker were northbound when a Ford F-150 ahead of them pulled to the shoulder to check a possible mechanical problem about 2:20 p.m., Keightley said.
The first rider swung around the truck, but Irvine hit the left rear corner of the vehicle and remained with the motorcycle for about 80 feet before coming to a stop on the roadway.
Irvine, who was pronounced dead at the scene, might have been struck by a second pickup. |