PORTLAND, Ore. — Police are still looking for the driver who hit and killed a pedestrian on Friday night, with neighbors saying if the city doesn’t implement strict measures now, more lives will be lost on the roads.
Neighbors were deeply affected by the traffic death, leaving flowers where the person’s body was found, despite not knowing them.
Car accidents have claimed at least 40 lives in Portland this year, a statistic not surprising to residents like Lori McClish, who recently moved to the area.
“Everybody’s going at least 10, 15, sometimes 20 miles over the speed limit. You have to be an extremely defensive driver,” McClish said.
On Friday night, she woke up to the tragic reality of the situation when she discovered a dead body right in front of her porch.
“It had just happened. They hadn’t even really covered the body yet,” she recalled, referring to the incident at Northeast 113th Avenue and East Burnside Street, where the victim was struck while trying to cross the street. Police said the driver fled before their arrival.
Another neighbor, Justin Cory, expressed his sorrow, stating, “I want to live in a world where people care about other human beings, so it’s definitely tragic.”
He also hopes police can locate the driver, noting that leaving the scene was cowardly.
“I mean, I’m sure that person was scared and devastated that they did what they did. Hopefully, they were. But I think taking off like that is cowardly," Cory expressed.
Having lived in the Hazelwood neighborhood since 2016, Cory believes this part of Portland is often overlooked. While he acknowledges improvements in traffic enforcement, he feels more action is needed.
“If there are a bunch of stoplights, it kind of slows the traffic down. I think installing more barriers would help prevent dangerous driving behaviors,” Cory said.
