Motorcyclist killed in Tacoma traffic collision is identified by medical examiner

A 31-year-old man who died in a traffic collision earlier this month in Tacoma’s Eastside neighborhood was identified Tuesday by the Pierce County Medical Examiner.

Robert Williams, of Kent, died of a skull fracture due to blunt force head injury, according to a news release from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. The crash occurred Aug. 14 near the 4300 block of Portland Avenue East.

Tacoma Police Department said a car was traveling north on Portland Avenue East when it attempted to turn into a business from the center turn lane. Williams, riding a motorcycle going south, collided with the car.

The collision led to one block of Portland Avenue being shut down while police and emergency responders were on the scene.

Williams was transported to a local hospital, where he was declared deceased. At the time of the incident, police said they were investigating the crash. Police were not immediately available to provide an update Wednesday morning.

This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 7:48 AM.

Peter Talbot

The News Tribune

Peter Talbot is a criminal justice reporter for The News Tribune. He started with the newspaper in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C. He also interned for the Oregonian and the Tampa Bay Times. Support my work with a digital subscription