More sad news on street racing this week. Police said the drivers of a BMW and Subaru Impreza were racing when the BMW crashed into a Lexus that was turning onto Southeast Powell Boulevard. The tragedy is the basis for three people who died. One person was hurt in the crash involving two cars, one of which was street racing.
Police said that the drivers of two cars, a 2015 BMW 3-series sedan and a 2005 Subaru Impreza, were racing east on Southeast Powell Boulevard at 9:34 p.m. when the driver of the BMW crashed into a 2004 Lexus sedan that was turning from Southeast 63rd Avenue onto Powell Boulevard. The BMW then crashed into a median and knocked over multiple trees.
The driver and passenger in the BMW, both 18-year-old women, died at the scene. The woman driving the Lexus was taken to the hospital and later died of her injuries. A man in the Lexus was taken to the hospital with serious injuries but is expected to survive. The driver of the Impreza, a 17-year-old boy, pulled over and stayed at the scene. Police said he was not involved in the crash. Police have not identified any of the people who died and will not do so until family has been notified.
Portland police said there have been 42 traffic-related deaths in the city in 2023, including 11 in July. The PPB Major Crash Team responded to the scene to investigate. Southeast Powell Boulevard was closed between Southeast 60th Avenue and Southeast 72nd Avenue during the investigation — and a second crash happened during that time, according to police.
Not too many hours later after 4 a.m., a driver hit an unmarked, unoccupied police car. The police car’s emergency lights were and was blocking traffic on Southeast Powell Boulevard and 65th Avenue. Nobody was injured. The driver of the vehicle was criminally cited for DUII and reckless driving.
