Car catapults up onto MAX tracks; shuts train service down

Details of the incident are still hazy, but take a look this car that came to rest, upside down, on the eastbound MAX light rail tracks ‚Ä¶

With the use of a massive crane truck, workers were able to right this car; officials said it looked like the car flew through the air–after mowing down a sapling–and landed, upside-down, on the MAX Light Rail tracks.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
After repeated enquiries, officials still aren’t telling us how a tricked out, skinny-tire blue coupe ended its travels upside down on the eastbound MAX Light Rail tracks on February 16.

But, we do know this: About 10:00 p.m. on that date, a call came over the police radio advising that an eastbound car on E. Burnside St. was overturned ‚Äì and on the MAX tracks, just east of the 156th Ave. pedestrian cross-over.

A look at these photos show how hard the nearby trees were hit by the car ‚Äì they are completely knocked over.

It appeared as if the driver lost control and mowed down a sapling tree planted between the tracks and Burnside St. The tree then vaulted into the air, “Dukes of Hazard” style, and landed upside-down.

Eastbound MAX trains were cancelled for a time; TriMet busses were brought in to move riders around the accident area. Burnside Street was closed down for several hours while authorities removed the vehicle.

Is the accident under investigation? We don’t know. Portland Police Traffic Division officials haven’t returned our calls. Keep watching ‚Äì we’ll update this story if we get more information.

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