A single weekend tripled the number of fatal motorcycle crashes in Grays Harbor County as two separate accidents raised the total for 2023 to date from 1 to 3.

Fatal motorcycle crashes are not common in the county, said Coroner George Kelley.

“Two motorcycle fatalities in a month would be unusual. One was Saturday and one was Sunday. That’s extremely unusual,” Kelley said. “Motorcycle fatalities in Grays Harbor are pretty rare to begin with.”

Both crashes appeared to be by happenstance, Kelley said, and there were no indications that drugs or alcohol played a role.

“In both circumstances, it was an unfortunate series of events,” Kelley said. “It didn’t appear to me that anyone was doing anything stupid.”

Statewide, the Washington State Patrol had a fraught weekend, with a high number of crashes, some fatal, said Trooper Katherine Weatherwax.

“Labor Day is usually like the last hurrah for the summer,” Weatherwax said. “I know the whole state was seeing crash after crash.”

While the state patrol didn’t clock any motorcycle deaths or even serious injuries last year, the state as a whole has seen many more crashes lately.

“We’re seeing it more and more. I don’t know the reason for that,” Weatherwax said. “I don’t know if it’s because we’ve had nicer weather.”

June 9 through Sept. 7 see the most fatalities of any comparable period during the summer, according to the state patrol.

“In our counties we had four (fatal accidents) in a week,” Weatherwax said, speaking of District 8. “That falls right into the 90 most dangerous days of summer. Labor Day is kind of the end cap.”

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.