While riding a motorcycle to his Kent job on a Monday afternoon in December, Patrick Robins headed northbound along 68th Avenue South when suddenly a SUV pulled out in front of him from Oberto Drive on his right.
As the SUV driver kept coming westbound, the motorcycle and SUV collided. Paramedics transported Robins to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Six days later, Robins, 49, of Tacoma, died in the hospital from the injuries he suffered in the Dec. 16 crash.
A 52-year-old Tacoma man drove the SUV that sat in a right turn only lane but instead tried to dart straight across five lanes of traffic. A driver with a dash cam just behind Robins captured the crash on video.
“Had (the SUV driver) made the decision to turn right as posted and not go straight, my husband would still be alive,” said Kisha Robins, the wife of Patrick Robins, in an email to the Kent Reporter. “I don’t know what was going through his head but his carelessness destroyed my life and that of my children.”
Patrick and Kisha Robins were married for 22 years with four children. The children also lost Patrick C. Robins, their grandfather and the father of Patrick Robins, when he died Dec. 5 of a heart attack. He lived in Newman Lake in Spokane County.
“We have been grieving nonstop,” Robins said.
Kisha Robins recently contacted the Kent Reporter to do a story, “reminding people to be safe and to look out for motorcycles regardless of the time of year.”
At about 1:04 p.m. on Dec. 16, the SUV driver went westbound from Oberto Drive across 68th Avenue South despite being in a right turn only lane marked by a painted right turn arrow and the word only on the roadway as well as a sign indicating right turn only, according to the police report. The driver also failed to yield to the motorcyclist after a stop sign.
Officers cited the Tacoma man for second-degree negligent driving, according to the police report. Second-degree negligent driving is a traffic infraction and is subject to a penalty of $250, according to Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 46.61.525.
Witnesses told officers that the motorcyclist did not appear to be driving with excessive speed. Robins had been in the right lane and moved to the left lane. Officers interviewed the SUV driver who remained on scene.
“In this case, officers spoke with the driver, and did not find any signs of impairment,” Kent Police Cmdr. Robert Hollis said in an email. “The driver was cooperative at the scene.”
If the driver had been impaired, police may have decided to send the case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for potential charges.
“Each collision is unique and officers will go through steps to determine if drivers involved are impaired,” Hollis said about crash investigations. “They will work up collisions and often will forward the case to the King County prosecutors office for a review of charges.”
Robins was one of five motorcyclists killed in the last six months of 2019 in the Kent area. His death had not been reported to media by Kent Police as he survived for six days after the crash.
Robins was headed to his job with Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) at the Amazon facility about 3 miles away from the crash.
“I want people to be more aware of their surroundings, especially motorcycles,” Robins said. “I just want to prevent anyone else from going through what we are going through.”
Robins added she would like to see the city of Kent install a median near where the crash occurred so that drivers cannot cross 68th Avenue South from Oberto Drive.
“To help avoid this problem in the future,” she said.
Patrick “Finn” John Michael Robins was born on Jan. 13, 1970 and passed away on Dec. 22, 2019.
“My husband was not perfect but he was a loving husband and father,” Kisha Robins said.
Dash cam video
A driver with a dash cam drove behind Patrick Robins as the motorcycle/SUV crash occurred. Kisha Robins agreed to share a link to the video. Caution to readers, the video shows the collision.
The link can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDS-Evswj9E
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A Kent Police graphic shows the Dec. 16 collision between motorcyclist Patrick Robins and a SUV. COURTESY GRAPHIC, Kent Police
