Jessica Osborne, the woman who was hit by a man driving a car and left for dead near the intersection of Albina and Rosa Parks Way in North Portland on April 3rd, has re-entered the hospital and the car of the suspect might have been found.
According to her friend Amy Wolf, Osborne was admitted to Emanuel Legacy hospital on Tuesday to have her spleen removed. She remains hospitalized and is recovering from the surgery.
Also, according to Wolf and other sources, the police might have found the car that was involved in the collision.
Wolf says a friend of Osborne’s tipped off the police when they saw a car that matched the description. It turned out that the police had already found the car in a tow lot and they were looking it over for evidence.
I called Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Brian Schmautz to confirm the information and he said they do not comment on ongoing investigations.
I assume in situations where the suspect is still at-large, the police are hesitant to release information about an investigation until they’ve found and arrested the perpetrator. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the car leads to someone soon.
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
\”We do not comment on ongoing investigations\” is standard operating procedure for police departments. It\’s too easy for someone in the department or related to the investigation and slip up and release information that compromises the case, alerts the suspect, or otherwise hoses things up. Most of the time, it\’s a good thing.
Sounds like they may have some solid leads, and hopefully they\’ve got a forensics team looking at the car and collecting evidence. It would be nice if there were a way to make the investigation process more transparent without compromising the case. I think independent oversight of any authoritarian structure is a good thing.
What Matt said.
What PoPo said.
So long as they catch the bastard…
Opus
best wishes to Jessica – get well soon
Sending good thoughts Jessica\’s way.
Regarding car/bike incidents and followups: what became of the Hummer/bike confrontation on NW 23rd two months ago? Were punitive measures ever taken against the Hummer driver?
Get well soon Jessica! Hopefully whatever leads the police may have will lead to a positive end.
I wasn\’t sure what the spleen did, so I looked it up, and found this.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11417844
Sounds like they only remove the spleen if they really really have to. Take care Jessica!
That\’s great news. The most important part of all of this is, of course, a speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with you Jessica. I roll through that intersection on my office commute.
My prayers and well wishes to Jessica and her friends and family.
As long as we are on the subject, does anyone know what happened at this intersection? see attached flickr photo link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/websites/2294505299/sizes/o/in/set-72157603992211942/
It looks like it is on the corner of Sandy and NE \’something\’ and a yellow bike is wedged under the front of a Chevy S-10 Blazer. Picture is dated Feb 26th.
As wildwood girl above said \”what ever happened to the Hummer driver?\”
Get well Jessica.
Hang in there Jessica. I had my spleen removed in 1982 after a car driver turned left right in front of my motorcycle. No long term ill effects.
That\’s 42nd & Sandy, by the Hollywood Burger Bar, looking S on 42nd. the building on the right is Jonny Funbucket\’s Rock & Roll Cafe, or whatever it\’s called. No idea what happened.
Hey Jessica, losing your spleen is no fun. But don\’t worry – mine was removed in 1977 and I\’ve done very well without it.
Take care in getting well. Someday this will be a dim memory.
New rule: bicycle driver education REQUIRED.
========
Mr. BikeBillboards: As you might have noticed, I\’m growing less and less tolerant of your brash comments. I have already deleted several of them and I just want you to remember that while I try to make this site as open as possible, and I respect your contributions, I do reserve the right to edit/censor/delete when I deem it necessary.
Please consider being respectful as possible when you comment. Also if you are so in need of a platform to promote the bike scene in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and for an outlet promote your bike billboard business, please consider starting a blog/website specifically for that purpose.
Thank you,
–Jonathan Maus
Editor, BikePortland.org
==========
#15:
I guess in Oklahoma, it\’s standard practice to blame the victim. Here, we prefer to apprehend the perpetrator.
Hey #15 BikeBillboards, it is unusually bad form to make such a comment implying that this crash was somehow her fault or something she could have prevented. Let the girl heal with only positive comments from the cycling community. Not cool.
Thanks Zaphod…
Hey BikeBillboards. I don\’t think its in your place to say such a thing. Why shouldn\’t there be a Car Drivers Education on bicyclists?
Put yourself in Jess\’s shoes. I don\’t think you would appreciate such comments if it were you.
Trying sending well wishes or blessings Jess\’s way instead of implications of it being her fault.
Thanks.
PS… Love and miss you Jess. Can\’t wait to see you again soon, girl! Keep on fighting like you always do. =]
(Love you! Cousin Emily)
My turn…BikeHillBillyBoards- might want to spend more time on your own site rather then reach across the country to chastise our bike riding abilities. Best to tend to your own website and try to make it halfway presentable. Get well and get back out there Jessica.
Just FYI, the situation involving the altercation between the man driving the H2 and the man riding the bicycle is still being worked on.
At the possible cost of my bike advocate street cred, I have to partially agree with our poster from Tulsa. We need bike education, as many outside of the PDX area have no knowledge of what the laws are for bikes on the streets, and many assume bikes belong on the sidewalk, only. In fact many PE teachers are still teaching kids to ride against traffic, which we all know is against the law in all 50 states and DC as well as Guam and Puerto Rico… So, some factual bike education. AND testing of that knowledge on the driver\’s tests, written and practical. The last driver\’s licence test I took had 20 questions, and 3 of them were on drunk driving law changes that had gone into effect that year. None had anything to do with how a motor vehicle is supposed to behave around bicycles. And while we are at it how about testing LEO on bike laws, as some seem to be making it up as they go along. Not singling out PPB here as it happens everywhere, also in all 50 states DC etc…
Well, it\’s nice to see such a large amount of reactions to my last post about bike driver education requirement. I don\’t really mind the negative responses, as long as there\’s reaction.
Certainly, I don\’t post the most \”diplomatic\” rants. But, then again, nice guys don\’t always get noticed.
But, the point of the post was not to demean or trivialize the death or injuries of anyone.
My idea for the bike ed requirement came from a local bike driver who recently got nailed, TWICE.
One of the comments suggested bike driver licensing. I thought that was a good idea. Of course, bike driver licensing begets bike driver ed.
So, how come bicycle drivers are the only operators of vehicles that don\’t receive bike driving ed in high school, as part of motor vehicle driving ed? The State even requires motorcyclists to receive proper, certified training.
I refer to bicyclists as drivers because that\’s how the LAW defines bicyclists. We are not merely \”riders,\” which denotes passive participation. We are DRIVERS of vehicles.
That designation comes with alot of BAGGAGE, both good and bad. Part of that baggage is a duty to actually PREVENT motor vehicles from causing problems, AND encouraging them to OBEY the LAW. Unfortunately, most bike drivers receive NO training, or learn it on-the-road, trial and error.
Both here in Tulsa and Portland, there\’s seems to be alot of different groups doing bike driving ed. But, bike ed really should be institutionalized as part of the public education system. And, NEITHER Oregon and Oklahoma are doing it. Even after 25 years of bike consciousness, a huge headstart over Tulsa, you guys don\’t have REAL bike driving ed as part of high school driver ed either.
If you did, a whole generation of motorists would ALREADY know how to deal with bike drivers.
But, I post here because you guys are one of the few places that are talking about bikes issues, beyond spandex, consistently. Based on what I glean from BP.org, I wouldn\’t expect much to be different between the two cities, except maybe for a bunch of naked people doing the World Naked Bike Ride.
Actually, the transportation DNA of both Portland and Tulsa are the same. We are both still auto-centric, even as gas is about to hit $4. There are still PDX \”bike planners\” who are afflicted with John Forester\’s,/a> cycling inferiority complex. And, they are still trying to coddle bicycle DRIVERS away from TRAFFIC.
So, I challenge BTA and the rest of PDX bike community to get the Oregon State Legislature to pass the nation\’s first state statute requiring high school bike driver ed/license. It would be interesting to see what you guys come up with. Wanna RACE?
High School drivers ed for bikes? When was the last time you were in a High School. I know when I took drivers ed it was hard enough to keep students from disrupting that, and most people wanted to drive.
Now there is another required course (of how long?) that the students do NOT want to sit through, especially if they don\’t bike. It would be a zoo, and I doubt anyone would learn anything.
If we already have drivers ed, and we tell riders to follow the rules of the road that we\’re already teaching them, it seems there should be no need for a large initiative.
In Texas there is no driver\’s ed in High School, all driver\’s Ed is done by private companies that don\’t like the competition, and who also administer the driving test… And people wonder how we get so many bad drivers on the roads.
Good point. I didn\’t learn anything in high school either. And, I pretty much blew off driver\’s ed. But, at least the State TRIED.
#24, interesting Texas concept. Get the Texas Legislature to require those private companies include bike ed. More money for them. I am sure they are probably a pretty powerful special interest mafia group.
#23, Chris, good points. But, it can hardly be said that the operational characteristics of bicycles and the psychology of bicycle drivers are the same as motor vehicles and the psychology of motor vehicle drivers.
There are BIG differences. If, as you say, there\’s no need for a larger initiative, then, by conclusion, the current system of educating motorists and bicyclists must be sufficient.
So, how come there are still so many motorists and bicyclists STILL ignorant of the laws relevant to bicycles? Why are cops, judges, and juries still ignorant of bike laws, and BIASED against bikes?
Why are bike \”planners\” still trying to \”educate\” the public on the use of suicide slots and boxes, instead of simply educating the public on how to mix with traffic? Why are they still afflicted with the cycling inferiority complex?
Yep. You are RIGHT. The system is working. NOT.
I think a reason people are reacting to your posts the way they are BikeBillboards is that they\’re OT for this thread. Given the fact that the person driving the car left the scene of the accident, it seems technical education of how to operate around bikes would not have helped. There\’s some deeper issues here.
#28, Citizen Gregg, is the issue in this case the same as the issues in this case?
It seems to be similar but a more relevant issue here is that the person left the scene of the accident. A technical class about how to drive or bike does not make up for a lack of morality.
\”I don\’t really mind the negative responses, as long as there\’s reaction.\”
I think that the fact you dont see this statement as an issue is the problem.
BikeBillboards… here\’s what you said
\”New rule: bicycle driver education REQUIRED.\”
and replied with this:
\”Well, it\’s nice to see such a large amount of reactions to my last post about bike driver education requirement. I don\’t really mind the negative responses, as long as there\’s reaction.\”
So are you saying that you said that heartless comment so get a \”reaction\”? Because it seems to me that this article is about my cousin Jess. Nothing to do with education. Sure, DRIVER education would\’ve saved her a LOT of pain and trouble, but that\’s not the point.
The point is this: Jessica was left by a souless human being on the side of the road to die. The article is updating people who are concerned for her well being and leaves room for well-wishes, blessings, and lots of love. Not negativity shot out looking for \”reactions.\” The fact that you DON\’T see your statement as an issue IS the problem (Duncan).
If that is what you\’re looking for, please leave it somewhere else. As far as I\’m concerned, we should all be focusing on Jess and the bettering of her health. The fact that we are all well and have the opportunity to pray for her is what is important.
Health is not something to be taken for granted, as we all know. So we should use our good health to wish Jess well for hers.
Thank you to all for the prayers and blessings for Jess.
=]
Cousin Emily
PS. Love ya, Jess. (And miss you bunches!)
#32, Cousin Emily, MY bad. I am sorry you misunderstood my intentions.
Certainly, I criticize various PDX bike initiatives gone WILD, such as the suicide slots and boxes. But, since I do not know anyone in PDX personally, I don\’t do personal attacks. Certainly, I would not intentionally travialize or demean the death or injury of anyonce.
A similar motorist-on-cyclist hit-n-run situation in Tulsa brought out a HUGE reaction from motorists blaming the cyclist for being on the road. Someone suggested state-sponsored bike ed/licensing. So I went with it.
You will know when I really want a negative reaction. A village idiot will show up at the Annual PDX Police Bureau Awards Banquet impersonating Santa.
Be afraid, PDX. VERY afraid.
It is very apparent that bikebillboards, much like the annoying Vance, is rattling nerves simply to get more hits to his/her blog. This is a proven method to get more views of your own website.
He/she is doing the same in many other comment sections on this website, all accompanied by convenienly placed links.
The best thing for us to do is ignore the comments, and in no manner click on the links included.
Emily- Thats what I was saying… in case I was not clear enough.
I think a \”no feeding the trolls approach\” is best to take with our friend from Tulsa.
Duncan
Very much so… =]
I was definitely agreeing with you on your comment! (in case it didn\’t come off that way)
Jess is doing well, everyone, and is finally getting to go home!
Love you Jess! =]
good for her.
If she\’s lucky this will be the last time she has to go back to the hospital. Go Jess!
I am thrilled to hear that Jess has made it through surgery and will be finally released to her home. It sickens me to think that the perpetrator of this injustice is still out there on the streets. Jess, you are constantly in my thoughts. I look forward to monitoring your progress in the coming weeks and months.
Love,
Nancy
i got hit by a truck last july… i\’m pretty fortunate though, no long term injuries that i won\’t overcome, and the driver stopped. it really breaks my heart to read about others who are hit and suffer worse injuries, and then the driver doesn\’t even stop. all my best wishes to jess and anyone else who is hit by a careless motorist. i will also be monitoring this site for updates…
Update on the rider in Tacoma that the driver pulled out from in front of her car and drove off. Injured bicycle rider remembers little about accident Notice there will be an arraignment in the case, which means charges, and maybe a trial followed by a nice long vacation at the Greybar Hilton.
Opus
Opus your link wouldn\’t work for me…
It doesn\’t work for me anymore either. Funny it worked on my blog and BikeJournal just the way I coded it. You can get to it from my blog if I can\’t figure out any other way to get it readable on here.
Well I couldn\’t get it to work but the URL for the article is here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/343955.html
Sorry I had to take up so much space.
Opus
For what it\’s worth, I just saw a late 80\’s Buick Park Avenue (Oregon XHJ 270) in Chinatown with a smashed windshield and plastic on the passenger window. I called it in to the officer working on the case.