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Man hit and killed while walking on SE Cesar Chavez at Clinton


Looking north on SE Cesar Chavez Blvd at Clinton.

Around 4:30 am Saturday a young man was walking on Southeast Cesar Chavez Boulevard when he was hit and killed by someone driving a car. The car driver fled the scene and is still on the loose.

Portland Police have not revealed many details about what happened but we’ve heard from a source that the victim is a 23-year-old who lived just one block from where he was hit. According to one person who obtained audio from the scene (and posted about it on this Reddit thread), the killer’s vehicle can be heard in the distance accelerating rapidly right before making impact with the victim. The PPB says their investigation thus far shows the victim was in or near a marked crosswalk at the time he was struck.

This crossing is very familiar to many Portland bike riders. SE Clinton is one of the city’s most popular bike routes and is a designated neighborhood greenway. As you can see in the Google Street View image it has green bike lanes and bike boxes on each side (both of which are occupied with bike riders).

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BikePortland reader Maria Schur reached out to us because she has a friend who was victimized by a hit-and-run driver at this same location back in June. Schur said her friend was riding eastbound on Clinton with a green light around 7:30 am when someone driving a black car hit him and left him in the road. The rider broke his clavicle.

Cesar Chavez in this location has a 30 mph speed limit and consists of four general lanes with no shoulder. It has a slight downhill in the northbound direction. People who live in the area are hoping something can be done to improve safety. Road design is one thing, but the lack of justice and accountability and what feels like an increasing amount of hit-and-run crimes just adds salt to the wound.

Anyone with information about Saturday’s fatal hit-and-run should contact the PPB Traffic Investigation Unit at 503-823-2103.

UPDATE, 9:14: A memorial has been created at the northwest corner of the intersection. It includes a picture of the victim and names him as Austin Gary Boyd (1997 – 2021). We are so sad for his family and friends.

(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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