Kent man, 62, dies from injuries in Auburn motorcycle crash

Published 4:33 pm Thursday, July 9, 2026

A 62-year-old Kent man died from complications of multiple blunt force injuries after he crashed his motorcycle into the back of one vehicle and the side of another vehicle.

Kelly J. Woolery died July 7 from injuries he suffered in a May 31 crash along State Route 18 in Auburn, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s July 9 report. He died at Kindred Hospital in Seattle, a facility that provides acute care for severe injuries.

On the late afternoon in May, Woolery was traveling along eastbound SR 18 in lane one of two approaching C Street, according to a July 8 press memo from Washington State Patrol (WSP).

A vehicle was also traveling in the same lane as Woolery, and another car was traveling in lane two of two.

Woolery attempted to make a lane change when his motorcycle struck the rear of the car in his lane, and the side of the car in the other lane, according to the WSP memo.

The cause of the crash was speed, according to WSP. No drugs or alcohol were involved.

“As far as the actual speed I don’t think a complete workup was done on this due to the fact there was no crime involved in the collision as the causing was the one that was critically injured,” said WSP Trooper Rick Johnson in a July 8 email.

Woolery was wearing a helmet, however the helmet was not compliant with the U.S. Department of Transportation safety standards. He was riding a 1979 Harley Davidson FXEF 1200.

All vehicles involved came to a stop and blocked both lanes one and two for approximately one hour.

The individuals operating the other two vehicles involved in the incident were not injured, according to WSP.

2nd motorcyclist death

Woolery is the second motorcyclist to die along SR 18 crashing into the rear of another vehicle in collisions that were just 16 days apart.

A 19-year-old Covington man was killed in a rear-end collision with a semitruck while driving a motorcycle on the evening of June 16 along westbound SR 18 near Tiger Mountain and just east of Raging River.

Ashton S. Sawyer was pronounced deceased at the scene and his Aprilia RSV4 motorcycle was totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol (WSP) June 16 press memo.

A Volvo semitruck was traveling in lane one of two on SR 18 at 5:43 p.m. Sawyer was driving behind it in the same lane. The motorcycle rear-ended the semi-truck, according to WSP.

Steve Hunter contributed to this article.