A chaotic crash in Northeast Portland on Thursday resulted in one fatality and three injuries, spanning several blocks near the Safeway store located in the 5900 block of NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Emergency crews responded to the incident around 11:45 a.m. Initial investigations reveal that a driver in a silver Ford Escape was speeding north on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when they veered onto the sidewalk, hitting two pedestrians near NE Jarrett Street. Remarkably, the vehicle narrowly missed a child.
Witnesses reported that the driver accelerated onto the sidewalk, colliding with two individuals who had just exited a bus. One pedestrian was declared dead at the scene, while the other was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Both victims were adult men.
Following the initial impact, the Ford Escape swerved back into the northbound lanes, sideswiping a Hyundai SUV on NE Ainsworth Street. The vehicle then crossed a median, crashing head-on into two southbound vehicles, a Buick sedan and a Toyota pickup, before finally coming to a stop. The driver of the Hyundai requested an ambulance, while both the drivers of the Ford Escape and Buick sedan were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The pickup driver sustained minor injuries and declined hospital transport.
Authorities do not suspect that the crash was intentional, based on witness accounts and evidence gathered at the scene. The investigation continues regarding the cause of the incident. Notably, the driver of the Ford Escape has two prosthetic legs, although it remains uncertain if this played a role in the accident. The vehicle was described as a “specially modified vehicle for a handicapped person.”
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office is involved in the investigation due to the incident’s serious nature. No arrests or citations have been issued as of now, and authorities have reopened NE MLK Jr. Blvd. after conducting their investigation.
