Two killed, two injured in Lents smashup

INCLUDES VIDEO | UPDATE: ARREST MADE | See the results of an outer East Portland two-vehicle collision that instantly took two lives, and badly injured two others …

At this intersection in Lents Town Center, where drivers often seem to speed through red lights, a deadly two-vehicle T-Bone wreck takes place.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

A vehicular collision resulting in the sudden death of two individuals on Wednesday evening, July 5 – on westbound SE Foster Road, at the northbound I-205 on-ramp intersection – makes yet another tragic illustration just why a “Red Light Camera” was installed at this crossing.

Portland Police Bureau (PPB) hasn’t provided information about this crash, but it was clear to us at the scene that one of the two large SUVs involved was traveling at a high rate of speed and, in fact, did run a red traffic signal.

One of the vehicles rolled over after the collision; the other sustained severe front-end damage.

A Major Crash Team investigator looks for evidence around the rolled-over SUV.

Here’s what is known: At 9:40 p.m., PPB East Precinct officers were dispatched to a reported crash at SE Foster Road and 96th Avenue.

When they arrived, officers found a two-vehicle rollover crash. “Two people were deceased on-scene; two other patients were transported to hospitals by ambulance,” a PPB official revealed.

Here’s a video (it isn’t graphic) of this fatal wreck being investigated by police:

The PPB Traffic Division’s Major Crash Team – and a total of 23 officers, detectives, and investigators – were called in to investigate the crash.

During the investigation, SE Foster Road was closed between 94th and 101st Avenues.

A substantial amount of debris littered the thoroughfare after the violent collision.

The next day, PPB Public Information Officer Sergeant Kevin Allen confirmed what we’d learned at the scene: “It’s accurate that the two people killed had been ejected from a vehicle. It may be next week before I have an update,” he told East Portland News.

If you have information about this crash, please contact crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov; Attn: Traffic Division, and refer to Case No. 23-176928.

Here’s a look at the crash scene, looking west along SE Foster Road. PPB image

As these fatalities were the 32nd and 33rd traffic deaths of 2023, the goals of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Vision Zero program to eliminate traffic fatalities appears to be fading for this year.

UPDATE:

On July 28, PPB officials revealed that the two individuals who died as a result of this crash are juveniles identified as 16-year-old Onesty L Jones and 13-year-old Kamareon Smith.

“After an exhaustive investigation, and in coordination with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, the driver of the vehicle that caused this crash has been charged,” the official released.

18-year-old Julius Lee Whitehurst. Whitehurst was arrested on July 24, and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 1:45 p.m. on the unrelated charges of Attempted Murder, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

Whitehurst faces 14 additional charges associated with the crash. The new charges include:

Manslaughter in the First Degree (2 Counts);
Assault in the Second Degree (1 Count);
Assault in the Third Degree (3 Counts);
Failure to Perform Duties of a Driver with a Fatality (2 Counts);
Failure to Perform Duties of a Driver with Injuries (4 Counts);
Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (1 Count); and
Reckless Driving (1 Count).

Whitehurst is currently being held, without bail in the MCDC.

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