Here’s why many outer East Portland Light Rail commuters were stuck without service for quite a while, during rush hour, on June 4 …
Bystanders at the MAX Light Rail crossing on SE 99th Avenue at E. Burnside Street look at the wreckage left by this two-vehicle collision.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Just in time for the afternoon rush hour on June 4, MAX Light Rail service slammed to a halt on the line from the Gateway Station eastward.
At about 4:15 p.m., an Infiniti J30t T-boned a white four-door SUV right in the MAX Light Rail crossing at SE 99th Avenue and E. Burnside Street.
The crash, which caved in the passenger’s side of the SUV, was with such force that it rolled the larger vehicle over, onto its top.
With the upended SUV on the MAX Light Rail tracks, service is suspended until the accident scene is cleared.
“I didn’t hear any skid; just a big ‘boom’, and I knew it was a wreck,” said Alphonse Jones, who said he was working nearby. “I was surprised to see that big SUV rolled over on it roof. But, it looked like everyone got out OK.”
Wrecker crews arrived, and within about an hour up-righted the SUV and towed it off the tracks.
Portland Police officers investigate the accident.
“There were no citations issued of which I’m aware,” Portland Police Bureau Public Information Officer Sgt. Pete Simpson told East Portland News, after looking up the incident.
While they were certainly shaken up in the crash, there is no record that any victims were transported to hospitals for medical care, either.
With a tow cable hooked onto the SUV, the wrecker operator prepares to roll the vehicle back onto its wheels.
© 2013 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News