Covington man, 19, dies in SR 18 motorcycle/semi crash

Published 12:16 pm Wednesday, June 17, 2026

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 State Route 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.

The report confirms that Sawyer was wearing a helmet. The driver of the semi-truck was wearing a seat belt and was uninjured.

The highway was closed for 2 hours and 30 minutes.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, according to WSP. It is unknown if drugs or alcohol were involved.