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Driver charged with manslaughter and DUII after fatal early-morning crash on Southwest Barbur Boulevard

Portland police said that the driver of a Toyota Scion was speeding while under the influence and did not have his headlights on when he caused the crash.

PORTLAND, Ore. — A two-vehicle fatal crash closed a stretch of Southwest Barbur Boulevard for hours on Friday morning, the Portland Police Bureau reported. One of the drivers has since been arrested on manslaughter charges.

According to the early results of a PPB investigation, the driver of a silver 2011 Toyota Scion was heading eastbound on Southwest Barbur shortly after 1:30 a.m. Friday morning — going over the speed limit without his headlights on.

He crashed into a silver 2011 Honda Odyssey minivan headed northbound on Southwest 22nd Avenue, PPB said, causing both vehicles to spun into an exterior wall of a bar at the northeast corner of the intersection.

Inside the Scion were three adult men. All three were taken to the hospital, and one of the passengers died despite lifesaving efforts. Another passenger was seriously hurt but is expected to survive. The driver was treated and arrested upon release.

PPB said that the driver of the minivan, also an adult man, was medically evaluated at the scene but did not require an ambulance.

Police concluded that impairment, high speed and lack of visibility were all factors in the crash. The driver of the Scion, identified as 26-year-old Espoir M. Kaneke, was booked into jail on charges for first-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving.

The name of the man who died in the crash will be released after family notifications are made, PPB said.

Southwest Barbur was closed for hours during the response and investigation by the PPB Major Crash Team. It reopened around 10:30 a.m.

Anyone with information about this crash who has not yet spoken to police is asked to email crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference Case No. 23-191095.

It was the second fatal crash in Portland in the span of a few hours. At 9:34 p.m. Thursday, two people died and two were injured in a crash on Southeast Powell Boulevard at Southeast 63rd Avenue. Police said one of the two people who were hurt had life-threatening injuries, and the investigation kept the road closed until about 6:30 a.m. Friday.

RELATED: 2 dead, 1 seriously injured in crash on Southeast Powell Boulevard in Portland

Portland police said Friday's crash was the 41st traffic-related death in the city in 2023, including 10 in July.

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