PORTLAND, Ore. — A woman critically injured in a crash on Southeast 82nd in September died from her injuries soon after, according to an update Saturday from the Portland Police Bureau.
Police responded shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16 to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Southeast 82nd and Crystal Springs Boulevard. They arrived to find a woman, later identified as 30-year-old Morgan Helms, suffering from life-threatening injuries.
The driver who hit Helms stayed at the scene as PPB's Major Crash Team responded to investigate. They were not charged or cited. The traffic investigation confirmed that Helms had been crossing Southeast 82nd when the driver hit her.
Police said in their initial statement that Helms had died in the hospital, something the agency corrected the next day. But according to a statement released Saturday, weeks after the crash, Helms did pass away on Sept. 19.
On Friday, PPB revealed that a pedestrian injured in a similar crash two weeks ago had also died of his injuries.
Officers responded to an area near North Whitaker Road and North Hayden Meadows Drive in Portland's East Columbia neighborhood shortly after 4:30 a.m. to find a man who'd been hit by a driver. The victim in this crash was identified as Michael Allen Pearcy, 32. He was taken to the hospital with reported head trauma.
The driver who hit Pearcy likewise remained at the scene, PPB said, and officers did not make any arrests or issue a citation.
On Thursday, a family member of Pearcy's told investigators that he had died of his injuries. The county medical examiner confirmed that Pearcy died as a result of the crash.
Including the deaths of both Helms and Pearcy, there have now been 58 deadly crashes in Portland this year. According to PPB, 20 of those crashes have involved pedestrians.
There are often slight discrepancies between PPB's numbers and those kept by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which excludes any crashes involving suicide, private property, non-public roadways, non-motor vehicles or deaths that happen more than 30 days after a crash, according to PPB. NHTSA's data shows 57 traffic deaths in Portland.
Traffic deaths in Portland have reached identical three-decade highs over the last two years, marking 63 deaths — based on the Portland Bureau of Transportation's numbers — in both 2021 and 2022. Deaths this year have been largely keeping pace.
