PORTLAND, Ore. — Two men are dead after a Wednesday evening crash on Southwest Barbur Boulevard, marking the third traffic-related death in 48 hours in Portland.
At 9:21 p.m., Portland officers and its traffic division responded to the two-vehicle crash at Southwest Barbur and Southwest Terwilliger boulevards.
The initial investigation suggested that a driver of a green 1997 Honda Civic was traveling south on Barbur Boulevard when he collided with a van, a blue Toyota Sienna. The van's driver was turning left from northbound Barbur Boulevard to Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard.
At the scene, police said, three people were seriously injured at the scene and were transported to hospitals.
The driver and the passenger in the Honda Civic died at the hospital, according to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). They will be identified once their families are informed.
A passenger in the back of the Honda was seriously injured, and the driver of the Sienna was not seriously injured.
Southwest Barbur Boulevard was closed between Southwest Bertha Boulevard and Southwest 5th Avenue, along with Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard between Southwest Caldew Drive and Southwest Canby Street.
The two men are the 62nd and 63rd traffic-related fatalities this year in Portland, police said.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day told KGW that they have seen a couple of fatal accidents in the last 38 to 48 hours that involved drunk drivers. Day added that this year, the agency's drunk driving arrests are up almost 300%.
"We’re making progress; we’re taking steps to minimize the risk, but there will always be a certain amount of risk," Day warned.
