BRINNON – A 50-year-old Brinnon man who died after a Tuesday wreck on U.S. Highway 101 near Quilcene suffered a heart attack before his 1986 Honda Gold Wing crashed into a guardrail, said Brinnon Fire Chief Bob Herbst.

Meril Eugene Draper died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle late Tuesday,

“He had a heart attack, and that’s what caused the accident,” Herbst said on Wednesday.

State Patrol spokesman Lt. Clint Casebolt said that the cause of the crash remained under investigation on Wednesday, and that a blood sample would be tested for toxicity.

Draper was flown to Harborview with head injuries after the 3:30 p.m. single-vehicle crash, according to the State Patrol.

He had been riding south on Highway 101 about three miles south of Quilcene when he veered off the highway to the right, struck the guardrail and was thrown from the bike.

He was wearing a helmet.

Herbst’s explanation of the cause of the wreck helped Draper’s uncle and namesake, Meril Eugene Smith, understand it better.

“He was an excellent bike rider,” said Smith, who lives in Brinnon.

“There’s no way he had [just] lost control.”

Smith, who had watched Draper grow up, said that he was present when a Harborview doctor told the family of Draper’s death.

In addition to head injuries sustained from the crash, Draper had gone into cardiac arrest, Smith said the doctor told the family.

The family is devastated, Smith said.

“This whole town loved him,” Smith added.

“He had a smile or a laugh all the time – and I’m not just saying that because he died.”

Smith described Draper as an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Every year when bear season rolled around, Draper would bag himself one, Smith said.

He also loved riding his motorcycle and would ride it every chance he got.

Draper often helped the Skokomish tribe with fishing operations, and was good friends with many of the Skokomish tribal members, Smith said.

Jefferson county fire agencies from Brinnon, Quilcene and Port Ludlow assisted at the scene of the wreck.

The highway was closed to all traffic until 4:40 p.m., when it opened to only one lane; all lanes were opened at 6:17 p.m., the state Department of Transportation reported.

Draper is also survived by his wife Melody and four children, Michael, Mitchell, Matthew and Megan.

Funeral arrangements had not been scheduled by Wednesday evening, Smith said.