Illegal U-Turn forces car into 82nd Ave. IHOP

Here’s why traffic was backed up on February 24 in outer East Portland on SE 82nd Avenue of Roses south of Holgate, near the International House of Pancakes …

Here in the Foster-Powell neighborhood, police cruisers block off traffic on SE 82^nd Avenue of Roses; cars were backed up near Liebe Street while police investigated a midday two-car smashup.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Southbound traffic on SE 82^nd Avenue of Roses was backed up near Liebe Street starting a little after 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, February 24, by a smash-up that caused one vehicle to smash against the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) located there.

Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers and a Portland Fire & Rescue crew responded to the IHOP at 4931 SE 82nd Avenue of Roses, a bit south of Holgate Boulevard, after numerous calls to the 9-1-1 Center reported that a car had driven over the sidewalk and into the building.

A tow truck begins the process of extracting this vehicle from the shrubbery in front of the IHOP restaurant.

Emergency first responders found a black Volvo four-door sedan popped up over the curb and across the sidewalk, into the bushes near the IHOP’s front door. The car had been stopped before hitting the building itself by prudently-placed large decorative rocks.

While emergency medical personnel tended to the Volvo’s driver, who was transported via ambulance to a local hospital for medical evaluation, a flat-bed tow truck quickly scooped up the other car involved, a Chevrolet Cobalt, to clear the wreck and get traffic moving again.

If not for the boulders outside this IHOP, the car likely would have rammed into the building – after being smashed into by a car making an illegal U-Turn.

“Reportedly the driver of the Chevrolet Cobalt performed an illegal U-turn, and the Volvo crashed into the Cobalt,” explained PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Chris Burley about the crash.

“After the cars collided, the Volvo did leave the street, and was stopped by a boulder in front of the IHOP,” Burley told East Portland News. “The driver’s injury is believed to be non-life-threatening,” he added.

Finally the car is towed away, and moments later, traffic again flows on SE 82^nd Avenue of Roses.

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