Learn how an infant avoided injury – by minutes – when an SUV plunged down an embankment and into a Pleasant Valley home …
From above a fence line, an SUV can be seen smashed into a white house, with a section of roof and wall torn away, and debris spread all around. Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office image
By David F. Ashton
A 47-year-old woman is facing a criminal citation for reckless driving after deputies say she tried to make an illegal pass on SE Jenne Road – saw a vehicle coming at her – and lost control of her SUV, crashing down off the highway into a baby’s nursery in a Pleasant Valley home on Monday afternoon.
The crash was reported around 12:15 p.m. on May 11 in the 5800 block of SE Jenne Road, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Portland’s Bureau of Emergency Communications.
-2 Firefighters stand near a black SUV that punched through a fence and into a white house, collapsing part of the roof and scattering debris across the yard. Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office image
Deputies and Gresham Fire crews arrived to find a large black vehicle down an embankment, buried in the side of a white house, and surrounded by debris from a collapsed wall and the damaged roof above.
Investigators say the southbound driver had attempted to pass a truck towing a trailer in a no-passing zone. As she pulled into the northbound lane, she saw an oncoming vehicle and tried to swerve back. But, deputies say, she sideswiped the truck and trailer, lost control, left the roadway to the right, and went down the embankment.
This Chevy Tahoe finally stopped, after ramming through the wall of baby’s nursery room. Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office image
The SUV slammed directly into a room used as a baby’s nursery. Fortunately, the child was not in the room at the time – the mother had taken the baby out just minutes before the crash.
No serious injuries were reported. Paramedics took the driver to a local hospital for evaluation. Deputies said they did not see signs of impairment at the scene.
The Sheriff’s Office says deputies expect to issue the driver, a 47-year-old woman, a criminal citation for reckless driving – plus three counts of recklessly endangering another person.
A heavy-duty tow truck tugs the SUV out of the house, and back up the embankment. Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office image
The impact caused significant structural damage to the home. The American Red Cross is assisting the family with temporary housing. Extended family members who work in the construction industry were evaluating the needed repairs.
Because of the crash and investigation, SE Jenne Road was closed in both directions between SE Circle Avenue and Baldry Street for a time on Monday.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
