Vancouver motorcyclist killed in collision with tractor-trailer

A Vancouver motorcyclist died Tuesday morning in a head-on crash with a tractor-trailer after the motorcycle crossed the centerline on state Highway 14 east of Washougal, according to Washington State Patrol.

Matthew Runkle, 40, was traveling east on a Yamaha motorcycle at about 11:15 a.m. when he struck the tractor-trailer, which was loaded with recycled cans, WSP spokesman Will Finn said. The motorcycle then caught fire.

A WSP trooper patrolling the area was one of the first to respond to the crash, which occurred just west of the Clark-Skamania county line and east of the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

“He saw the plume of smoke as he was coming around the corner,” Finn said.

The trooper quickly called for more resources while the driver of the tractor-trailer, David Newman, 36, of Tacoma grabbed his fire extinguisher, Finn said. An off-duty firefighter who also happened upon the scene used the trooper’s fire extinguisher to help Newman quickly douse the flames.

Runkle was pronounced dead at the scene.

Newman was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center with neck pain, Finn said. His vehicle was towed from the scene.

The two-lane stretch of highway was closed for about two and a half hours while WSP investigators documented the scene and collected evidence. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office and East County Fire & Rescue also responded to the scene. The tractor-trailer reversed to get away from the fire and backed into a stopped vehicle. The Washington State Patrol considers that a separate crash.

Runkle previously worked as a production supervisor at Ventura Foods in Portland, according to his Facebook page.

His death marks the 28th fatality on Clark County roadways so far this year.