PORTLAND, Ore. — The new year is off to a deadly start in the Rose City with Portland police responding to the first fatal crash of the year early Sunday morning. It happened in a small, dead-end neighborhood off Southeast Division Street around 2:30 a.m.
"People love to just come flying into the neighborhood or flying out of the neighborhood," said Don Reynolds, who has lived on Southeast 125th Avenue for 10 years. He was hitting the road early to go snowboarding when he heard the crash. "I thought it was nothing but fireworks but as I left there were still flares on the road."
Portland police said someone driving a stolen sedan crashed into multiple parked cars and died. The damaged cars still lined the street Sunday afternoon.
"People would assume something on I-84 or something on I-5, but when you say it's a dead-end neighborhood and that there was a fatal crash, that hurts a lot," said Reynolds, who said he's considering moving out of Portland because of the crash and increased crime in the area. "It seems that people just don’t care."
This deadly crash came on the heels of last year, when 67 people died in Portland in car crashes, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Police are now calling it an epidemic. According to Oregon’s official crash record, there are typically between 10,000 and 12,000 reported crashes in the city each year.
"Speed continues to be one of the key factors in those fatalities and serious injuries," said Hannah Schafer at the Portland Bureau of Transportation. She said a new state law could help stop the deadly trend.
The law, which is now in effect, allows city and county officials to designate speed limits as opposed to traffic engineers and Oregon’s Department of Transportation. "There is still a lot of work for us to do at PBOT to make our streets safer, but we need partners in this," Schafer said.
Oregon's 241 cities, along with Multnomah and Clackamas counties, can now begin applying for the authority to designate speed limits in their respective jurisdictions. ODOT will continue to manage speed limits on state roads.
"Having local authority over speeds is really, really crucial when we're trying to lower speeds and create safer conditions around the city," Schafer said.
It's those safer conditions that people like Reynolds are longing for as they head into the new year. "I would hope that Portland would just really take that step on becoming what it used to be," Reynolds said.
Portland police are calling on the community to help make the streets safer by being vigilant and following the rules of the road. They are also asking anyone with information on Sunday's fatal crash on Southeast 125th Avenue to contact them at crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 23-47.
Traffic stats, 2022
- Total Major Crash Team callouts: 90
- Total fatal hit and runs: 17
- Total fatalities: 67 (same as 2021)
- Auto drivers / passengers: 21
- Motorcycle: 11
- Bicycle: 3
- Pedestrian: 32
Source: Portland Police Bureau