GETCHELL — Three people died in three consecutive days on Snohomish County roads late last month, making it one of the deadliest periods this year.
Traffic accidents have claimed nearly two dozen lives in the county since Jan. 1, officials said.
Despite more than six deaths in August, the number of traffic fatalities is consistent and even below annual averages.
“August of this year seems to have been pretty bad for some reason,” said Dick Doane, a researcher with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “I have no idea as of yet what that reason might have been, although we’ll certainly keep analyzing our data to see what it yields.”
Nearly 50 people die annually in traffic deaths on average in the county, state records show. At the current pace of traffic deaths, Snohomish County would have fewer deaths in 2009 than is typical.
“It’s very cyclical,” said George Metcalf, a crash detective with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
On Saturday afternoon, Walter T. Barron, 22 of Monroe, died after his motorcycle crashed on Highway 522. Witnesses told investigators Barron appeared to be performing stunts before his bike crashed into the guardrail, Washington State Patrol trooper Keith Leary said.
The following day, just after midnight, Seattle-resident Sergey Khachaturov, 48, died after he tried to make a left turn into a driveway in the 14300 block of 84th Street NE.
The driver of a Dodge pickup, an Arlington man, 33, was trying to pass Khachaturov’s sedan and struck the car, sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
Khachaturov was rushed to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett where he died. A female passenger in the car was treated and released.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner ruled both deaths traffic accidents.
And an Arlington man, Keith Wheeler, 49, died early Monday in a head-on crash on Highway 530 east of Oso. His son, Thomas, 27, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries, Leary said.
Relatives told police the father and son left Idaho several hours earlier and likely were driving home.
Metcalf said the traffic crashes typically are the result of a combination of factors: motorcyclists taking risks; people driving long distances without breaks; and drunken driving.
Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest travel times each year, AAA of Washington reported. This year is forecast to be the third busiest Labor Day weekend on the roads this decade, according to a AAA report.
There are ways to stay safe, Metcalf said.
Take rest breaks as needed, don’t drink and drive and realize that there will be heavier than typical traffic on the roads, he said.
Remember the safe rules of the road, the detective said, “Pay attention.”
