One Dies After Motorcyclists Fall from Interstate 90 on to Express Lanes

A motorcycle passenger has died after she and the driver were thrown from their bike on an elevated portion of Interstate 90 onto the express lanes 40 feet below, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The driver suffered serious injuries, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Julie Startup. The passenger was identified as a 26-year-old Everett woman, and the driver was identified as Bobby Jack Shankle, 20, of Bothell, according to a Washington State Patrol memo. The woman's family had not been notified of her death, as of the release of the memo.

Just before 7 p.m., the westbound motorcyclist struck the median near the East Mercer and Bellevue Way exits and the two were thrown from the Aprilia motorcycle and over the barrier and onto the express lanes below, Startup said. A similar crash happened on Interstate 5 this week, she said.

"Unfortunately, we find that the barrier holds the vehicle in, and the occupants, who aren't secured, do seem to get ejected," she said.

Both people, who were wearing helmets, were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where the passenger died of her injuries, according to the memo.

The crash occurred just before 7 p.m., Startup said. It was not known what caused the driver to strike the median.

The drop from the elevated portion of the freeway is about 40 feet, according to the Bellevue Fire Department, which also responded to the crash.

The investigation continues.