PORTLAND, Ore. — A pedestrian was struck by a car and killed on eastbound Interstate 84 in Portland early Sunday morning, Portland police announced in a news release.
East Precinct officers responded to a report of a crash on I-84 at 1:05 a.m. Sunday. They located the crash on the eastbound freeway just east of the exit for Northeast 82nd Avenue.
The pedestrian was deceased when police arrived. The drive of the car remained at the scene, police said.
The Portland Police Major Crash Team responded to the scene to investigate and closed I-84 eastbound at the Northeast 68th Street exit, although westbound traffic was not affected.
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The eastbound closure lasted for at least an hour; the police news release at 2:30 a.m. said the team was still on site and investigating.
The incident was the 39th traffic fatality of the year in Portland, police said, and the 49th activation of the Major Crash Team.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact crimetips@portlandoregon.gov, attention Traffic Investigations Unit, or call 503-823-2103 and reference case number 22-211464.
The number of Portland traffic fatalities hit a three-decade high last year of 63, with pedestrians accounting for 27 of those deaths. A report in February also found that 70% of pedestrians killed in Portland in 2021 were homeless.
Traffic deaths on highways in Portland have also seen a major uptick in recent years, with more than 50% of 2021's traffic deaths on highways compared to an average of 36% from 2017 to 2020.
