Man dead in motorcycle crash on state Route 17

A man died Monday afternoon after his motorcycle went off the roadway along state Route 17 and crashed into a rock wall.

The incident occurred around 12:26 p.m. on the road between Soap Lake and Coulee City, near Blue Lake, said Washington State Patrol Trooper John Bryant. The man was still alive when responders first arrived but he then died at the scene.

As of press time, it is not known in which direction the motorcyclist was driving or what caused him to crash, Bryant said.

“There are carved out rock walls, and the road there is narrow and curvy,” he said.