A 55-year-old motorcyclist was killed on Wednesday near Lacey after a drunk driver.

The motorcycle accident took place around 6:15 p.m. He had been driving 1971 BMW motorcycle westbound on Steilacoom Road east of Lacey when a drunk driver crashed into him after crossing into his lane. The 39-year-old man, also of Lacey, had been driving his 1998 Dodge Dakota eastbound on Steilacoom Road and had reportedly passed over double yellow lines into westbound lane. The victim was pronounced dead at scene by emergency responders.

State Troopers arrested the truck driver on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and a blood test later confirmed that suspicion. He has been charged with vehicular homicide and is now booked into the Thurston County Jail.

Wednesday's collision was the first deadly automobile collision in Thurston County in 2011.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 225 deaths in Washington in 2008, accounting for 43% of total all motor vehicle fatalities. A total of 25 percent of those fatalities were caused by drivers having a blood alcohol content exceeding the legal limit of .08.

In Washington, a driver who operates a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, drives recklessly, or with disregard for the safety of others, will be found liable of vehicular homicide if they cause the death of another person within three years of injuring them with a motor vehicle.

Source: Washington State Patrol, "Lacey Man Charged with Vehicular Homicide After Fatality Collision," Press Release, 9 Feb 2011.