UPDATED: Drivers Arrested, Victim revealed | INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE IMAGES AND VIDEOS | Learn what’s been revealed about this fatal outer East Portland collision not covered by any other news outlet. And also, see exclusive photos and video of the single-car smashup between I-84 and I-205 …
The first of 21 Portland Police Bureau officers and command staff arrive at a fatal accident in which a pedestrian was struck by a hit-and-run driver.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A fatal pedestrian vs. hit-and-run driver collision last Friday night went virtually unnoticed this past week, in our first motor-vehicle-accident-related story this time.
But in the second one, many people noticed – especially those trying to travel from westbound I-84 to northbound I-205 on Wednesday night, only to find the exit closed. They all likely correctly guessed that a some sort of major accident had taken place.
Here’s what we’ve learned about these two incidents – with our exclusive (but not graphic) images taken at each crash scene:
UPDATED December 5
September 27
Unidentified person killed in Hazelwood hit-and-run
Motorcycle Officers with the Portland Police Bureau’s Traffic Division are in the vanguard of the 21 personnel to arrive at the scene of this fatal crash.
On Friday, September 27 at 10:04 p.m., Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officers were dispatched to a crash on East Burnside Street at NE 113th Avenue.
Arriving officers located a deceased person in the westbound lane of East Burnside Street, a half block west of 113th Avenue.
Watch our exclusive video, as this pedestrian vs. vehicle crash investigation unfolds:
As officers closed down East Burnside Street, between NE 109th Avenue and SE Pine Court – including ordering TriMet MAX Light Rail trains not to run in this area – the PPB Traffic Division’s Major Crash Team was called in to investigate.
Members of the PPB Traffic Division’s Major Crash Team arrive, and begin preparing a meticulous investigation.
A Major Crash Team sergeant, an investigator, and an officer seek evidence at the crash scene.
Evidence markers show the location of the evidence left behind – including possibly the victim’s shoe (far left) next to Evidence Marker B. It landed adjacent to the westbound MAX Light Rail tracks.
It didn’t take long for Major Crash Team investigators to begin placing evidence markers, primarily in the westbound traffic lane of the intersection, where contact was likely made between the victim and the as-yet-unidentified responsible vehicle.
This PPB Major Crash Team operates their FARO Crash Reconstruction Unit which digitally documents the crash scene.
“The driver, or drivers, involved left the scene and were not immediately located,” is all a PPB official would reveal. At this time, no further information has been provided by Portland Police.
UPDATE
On November 5, the PPB revealed that it was 37-year-old Cameron Anne Barton (above, family provided photo), of Portland, who was killed in this crash. This case remains under investigation. So, if you have information about this crash and have not already spoken to police, e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn: Traffic Investigations Unit; and refer to Case No. 24-248250.
On Friday, November 29, 2024, a Multnomah Grand Jury returned true bill indictments for the suspected drivers: 39-year-old Julio Cesar Salazar-Arias and 26-year-old Sergio Cruz.
Then, on December 5, 2024, both drivers involved with the fatal incident turned themselves in for warrants stemming from the indictments.
Salazar-Arias was lodged in the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 1:36 AM for the Class C Felony of Failure to Perform the Duties of a Driver. He was released from custody that same day, December 5. Release Reason: Released on Own Recognizance.
Cruz was lodged in MCDC at 1:00 PM for Failure to Perform the Duties of a Driver and Initiating a False Report. Currently, at the moment, he’s still in custody at the MCDC, but is likely to also be set free soon.
45 people have been killed in Portland traffic crashes – so far, as of this publication date – in 2024; 17 of them pedestrians, contrary to the objectives of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Vision Zero program.
October 2
Driver seriously injured after Toyota SUV flips off of freeway exit
An ODOT Major Incident Response truck blocks the exit from westbound Interstate 84, to northbound Interstate 205.
A single-vehicle freeway crash nearly ended the life of a driver on October 2. So severe was the smashup, the PPB Traffic Division’s Major Crash Team – and an additional dozen officers, Portland Fire & Rescue crews, Oregon Department of Transportation, and an ambulance – were all sent to the area at 7:16 p.m.
As the investigation of this outer East Portland freeway crash concludes, workers examine the vehicle.
The incident took place in the transition from westbound Interstate 84, to northbound Interstate 205, where the exit lane wraps around the southwest edge of the City of Maywood Park
In our exclusive video, see the aftermath of this major freeway crash as crews work to reopen the exit lane to traffic:
According to at least one witness who notified the 9-1-1 Center of the crash, the Toyota SUV with Washington license plates skidded, the male driver over-steered and struck the inside concrete wall, and then caromed into a ditch on the other side of the exit lane.
The caller said the driver of the crumpled SUV looked severely injured and bloodied.
A tow truck driver flips the Toyota upright, and prepares to haul it away.
“The driver, an adult male, the only occupant of the involved vehicle, suffered critical life-threatening injuries, and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance,” a PPB spokesperson later reported.
The exit remained closed for quite some time; workers were still clearing the crash at midnight.
If you have any information about this crash and have not yet talked to police, please e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn: Traffic Investigations Unit, and mention Case No. 24-252858.
© 2024 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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