Driver hits-and-runs close to home

See how near this driver was to making it home safely in the Powellhurst-Gilbert, before a wooden utility pole somehow got in her way …

A PGE Eagle crew is on the way to fix the utility pole that was snapped off at the base by a driver who fled the scene – but fled only two doors away.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Odd-sounding police calls attract the attention of reporters, and such a call was dispatched by the 9-1-1 Center at 4:18 p.m. on May 30.

The call was dispatched as a “hit-and-run” vehicle accident on SE 136th Avenue, just north of SE Holgate Boulevard, at Mall Street.

This utility pole is suspended by the wires and cables above it.

The dispatcher said a neighbor called to report that a red GM car had struck a wooden utility pole on the northwest corner of the intersection, snapping it off at the sidewalk.

An officer at the scene confirmed the report that a woman had exited the crashed vehicle, walked two doors south, and into a home. Then, a man came out of the house, started up the smashed car, and drove it into the driveway. After that, he got out of the car, also went into the house.

With at least one flat tire, and with deployed airbags, it’s clear this car smacked into the utility pole with substantial velocity.

Word was that a neighbor knocked on the door to make sure the driver was okay, but no one answered the door.

Official information isn’t yet available, and it’s not known if the driver will be charged with ORS Vol. 17 Chapter 811. That’s the one that requires the driver to “Remain at the scene of the accident until the driver has fulfilled all duties.” The case is still under investigation.

© 2016 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

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