Here’s how officials say this outer East Portland smashup took place, and why NE Marine Drive was closed for hours …
On the road that divides the Parkrose and Argay Terrace neighborhoods, the driver of a van turns left from NE 122nd Avenue onto NE Marine Drive – directly into the path of an oncoming semi-truck.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
During the clear, sunny Tuesday morning of August 28, for reasons unknown, a conversion van pulled right into the path of an 18-wheeler on turning left from 122nd Avenue.
Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers and Portland Fire & Rescue paramedics raced the intersection after the crash was reported at 9:48 a.m.
The semi-truck and smashed van remain where they stopped after this deadly accident, while investigators unravel how it took place.
When emergency first-responders arrived, they found an Oak Harbor Freight Lines rig stopped mostly through the intersection, and a badly damaged blue GMC Savana full-size passenger conversion van pushed to the side, along with a white Honda Passport a bit east of the intersection.
“Emergency medical personnel provided medical aid to the injured people involved in the crash; however, they determined the driver of the GMC van, an adult female, had died,” said PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Chris Burley. “The occupants of the semi-truck and Honda Passport did not require medical transport for treatment of injuries.”
Members of the PPB Traffic Division’s Major Crash Team discuss information learned from surviving drivers, and witnesses to the crash.
“Based on the initial investigation, officers believe the semi-truck was traveling east on Marine Drive. The GMC van was turning west onto Northeast Marine Drive from northbound 122nd Avenue,” Burley explained. “The Honda was stopped in the turn lane on westbound Marine Drive, preparing to turn southbound onto 122nd Avenue.
“PPB Traffic Division’s Major Crash Team officers surmised, based on available evidence and witness statements, that the driver of the van, facing a stop sign, didn’t yield right-of-way to the oncoming semi-truck. Then, after the initial collision, the van crashed into the Honda stopped in the left turn lane.”
As tow drivers begin to recover the crashed van, the Honda Passport, also involved in the crash, becomes visible.
“The deceased person’s identity will be released after a member of the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office has completed an autopsy, and the deceased’s next of kin are notified,” Burley said, adding that this was the 24th traffic crash-related fatality in the City of Portland in 2018.
Anyone with information concerning this traffic crash investigation should contact Major Crash Team Investigator Garrett Dow at 503-823-5070 or via email at Garrett.Dow@portlandoregon.gov.
© 2018 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
click here to subscribe
