A motorcyclist was killed last week after the driver collided with a guardrail on Seabeck Highway Northwest, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office.

The driver was identified as 21-year-old Taylor Michael Santa Cruz by the Kitsap County Coroner’s Office. Traffic investigators reported that, based on witness statements and evidence at the collision scene, the motorcycle was heading northbound on Seabeck Highway at high speeds and passed several vehicles on Kitsap Way and Northlake Way.

Witnesses also reported near-collisions between the motorcycle and other vehicles as the motorcyclist passed traffic, according to traffic investigators. Witnesses then came upon the collision shortly afterward. Although Cruz was wearing a helmet, he sustained a significant head injury. A news release from the sheriff’s office suggested that “The consumption of alcoholic intoxicants by the motorcyclist is a possible factor in the cause of the collision.”

Responding sheriff’s deputies and Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue responders initiated immediate life-saving efforts but the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene by medics. The roadway was closed for approximately two hours before being reopened shortly after 11 p.m.

An autopsy was scheduled to be performed by the county coroner on Monday.

Tyler Shuey is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at tshuey@soundpublishing.com