The Traffic Division of the Portland Police Bureau have officially assigned an investigator to get to the bottom of the hit-and-run incident involving a bike and pickup truck I reported on last week.
On May 9th, Dustin Kent was riding on the path over the Columbia River when he says a full-sized Nissan pickup somehow gained access to the path and tried to run him over. Kent claims he was forced to jump over the path’s railing (and onto the shoulder of the freeway) to avoid being hit.
Word about the official investigation came just this morning from Traffic Division Commander Mark Kruger. He said he’ll keep me posted on any developments. The Traffic Division has a solid record of successful investigations and I’m sure they will get to the bottom of the incident.
Dustin himself is also working on the case. According to this comment he left on Friday, he has tracked down a witness who saw the truck on the bike path and hopes to contact her for more information.
The Portland bike community wants to help Dustin get a new bike. He had just started commuting to work when this incident occurred and his bike was mangled when the truck rolled over it. Plans are underway to help him get a new one.
Concerned reader Tyler Robertson put out a plea on his blog and Cyclepath Bike Shop in northeast Portland has also come forward to help get Dustin back on the road.
Stay tuned for more developments on the case.