The family of a Portland high school student says their daughter was severely injured by a driver while walking in the Piedmont neighborhood.
It happened Tuesday night October 11th around 6:30 pm near the intersection of North Commercial and Killingsworth. This location is on the same block as Jefferson High School and a Multnomah County Library branch. It’s a busy intersection with a transit stop and bulbed-out curb on one corner.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by a friend of the family, the victim (named Trina), was walking near the intersection when a driver allegedly hit her with their car and then fled the scene. Trina is still in the hospital with major injuries, including head trauma that has made it hard for her to speak.
A story from KPTV says the alleged driver has been found and arrested by the PPB and now faces multiple charges.
“This incident has not only caused our family psychological stress,” the family wrote on GoFundMe, “but has also brought on a financial burden.” They are hoping to raise at least $10,000 to offset medical expenses.
“I’m so upset that something like this happened in a school zone,” shared Celia Orduna, Trina’s mom. “What truly scares me is that school events happen so late in the evening I wish they had some kind of of street supports in those areas on nights like this when there are students coming and going in the street. It’s scary!”
Orduna says Trina is doing well and is expected to recover.
This is a tragedy and we are sad and frustrated that our neighborhoods continue to be regularly impacted by reckless drivers.
If you are able, please consider supporting this family. Find out more at the GoFundMe page.
Thanks for reading.
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This is horrific.
It’s so upsetting that we have these kinds of horrible crashes even at what is a very well-designed intersection with curb extensions, crosswalks, and a low speed limit. We need to do more as a society to combat drunk driving. I’ve heard that in Canada the penalties are very harsh, like you can have your car seized even on a first offense and can lose your license. We’re very lax in the US on intoxicated and distracted driving.
I agree Psmith. And personally, this is so upsetting because my kids grew up around this intersection. This is our library! And I walk by here all the time with my dog and family.
This is awful. People love to drive fast along Killingsworth, despite all the improvements made to make it more neighborhood-friendly. Especially during rush hour. My daughter used to take music classes at Ethos just down the road and I hated crossing the road with her at N. Williams.
And the penalties for hit and run should be very harsh. That is a complete lack of humanity
Agreed. Stopping to help could be the difference in whether a victim survives or not.
Not to detract from the tragedy of the incident, and my deepest sympathies go out to the family, but if it was a hit and run, how do they know the driver was drunk?
good question. I’m not sure how. I can assume that witnesses made that determination. But so far my story relies solely on their GoFundMe. I’ve reached out to the police but they are busy with Biden stuff and the GoFundMe organizer hasn’t replied to my message either.
“Busy with Biden stuff” – what does that mean?
He’s in town. Police are doing traffic control etc.
Net mind. Just found out Biden is in town because my son’s TriMet bus got cancelled for “security reasons.” How about the security of my son?!
Yeah sorry. All PPB is focused on security and traffic closures for Biden’s visit to Portland today.
You’re not serious? Your source was a GoFundMe statement? The KOIN article says that it was not a hit and run, but that the driver remained on the scene. At a certain point, lazy journalism becomes libelous.
The story is about the GoFundMe more than the crash itself. And yes, I think it’s reasonable to believe a victim’s family just as much if not more than a local media outlet (who only gets their news from the police)
I am surprised at your cynicism. Family are usually the most unreliable source of information. They have such an inherent, and understandable bias. I say this as a former private investigator. Other media usually talk to anyone that can eventually, and try not to rely on police ‘only’ as you said. The mainstream media may not be great, but I think you misjudge them.
I understand the dynamics and complexities here pretty well steve. I have good reasons to be very cynical of how police communicate these cases. And the local media often spend zero to no effort on these type of stories unless there’s some special circumstance or a crash is particularly high profile. I realize families are biased… but is it any less powerful than bias from police or media? I don’t trust anyone really! We should all be skeptical of our sources and use our own internal discretion and media literacy to form our opinions.
again, I only did this story because I came across the gofundme… so that was my focus.
Possible other behaviors were observed that caused them to assume this. May have stopped and gotten out of the car initially, then decided to make a different choice (which is unfortunately way too common and too rarely results in consequences for the criminal). Perhaps “intoxicated” would be better, since it could be any number of substances. I had my van rear ended while it was parked (no one was in it) and the person that did it fell asleep right after, and only woke up because witnesses were knocking on his window. He got out of the car, fairly incoherent, realized what happened and then almost ran over the witnesses that were trying to block him from leaving. Never found him. The kicker for us, is that the car turned out to be a rental from a place in Seattle where he was able to use fake info to rent it, which their insurance company then used as justification to not cover our damages.
I came here to ask this very question.
Seems a little reckless to parrot a claim that serious in a story like this.
OK. I assumed these people were telling the truth. But OK yeah, I’ve edited the story to make it clear the charges are “alleged”. Also, the “drunk” part was always referred to as “according to a gofundme”.
The driver was there on scene. The street was closed off for hours with the driver remaining there. Patrons of the local bars (as there are many there) were blocked in as the driver stayed calmly in the passenger seat and cooperated. Another person who witnessed called for medical help and I responded as I have some training but knew she should not be moved until her neck was secure. The driver never fled but the initial call to 911 was reported as a hit and run by whoever made the initial call. I’m not sure why the family put that in their go fund me
There are also two bars very close to the intersection.
This is terrible.
Is there a report of the incident with vehicle description? I am familiar with a number of intoxicated drivers in the area, see progressively worse body damage to their vehicles, and can directly link one to a hit and run.
According to this article, the driver remained at the scene and has been arrested for DUII: https://www.koin.com/news/crime/alleged-duii-driver-strikes-injures-girl-in-north-portland/
thanks champs. i didn’t take time to even look for that article so I appreciate the help. will update the story now.
https://www.koin.com/news/crime/alleged-duii-driver-strikes-injures-girl-in-north-portland/
… “PPB told KOIN 6 that the girl’s injuries were not traumatic” — this sounds too familiar…
https://bikeportland.org/2016/05/02/bicycle-rider-ticketed-for-running-red-light-and-careless-driving-after-injury-crash-in-lloyd-district-182358#comment-6657303
LOL. Police will often downplay the injuries for some reason. I just heard from a family friend who said she had a major concussion and TBI and a body full of road rash.
Because being hit by a car isn’t inherently traumatic? Ridiculous.
Getting hit by a car is usually defined as blunt-force trauma, unless body parts are removed. The bluntest of blunt forces.
@Bikeportland.org, has there been any indication whether the Major Crash Team was called in?
It’s been my understanding that the police are required to call the Major Crash Team, and Traffic Investigation Unit, to investigate any serious injury/death of a vulnerable road user by a driver. Are they incentivized to downplay crash injuries in order to reduce calls to the MCT?
https://www.portland.gov/police/traffic-investigation-unit
Even though that page doesn’t specify injury to vulnerable road users, this excerpt advisory from Portland City Code does:
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/526303
“Investigation Criteria (640.50) Members will investigate the following types of crashes. This investigation will include completing an Oregon Police Crash Report.
a. Fatal crashes.
b. Physical injuries with entry into the Regional Trauma System by on-scene EMS personnel.
c. Accidents involving physical injury to vulnerable road users where the vulnerable road user is transported by ambulance.
d. Drivers who are under the influence of intoxicants.”
It seems that this wreck meets both c) and d) of those criteria, and possibly b).
Why is the family saying the driver left? I was witness to the accident. It’s also confirmed in the article from KOIN. None the less it was very scary to see.
And I prayed for her for days not knowing if she was okay. I’m glad she is alive and expecting recovery. Sending all good thoughts.
Thanks for sharing Emily. I’m not sure why the family is saying that. I haven’t asked them. In my experience, there is often a lot of confusion and conflicting accounts about what happened in situations like this.
I read their comment elsewhere that the driver immediately fled on foot, leaving their elderly father in the passenger seat, and that it was the latter who was first arrested. Not sure of the sequence that led to the arrest of the driver himself. They also said that the driver and father are personally well known in the neighborhood and that they were identified by name by bystanders.
The KOIN article says it was not a hit and run, but that the driver remained on the scene ??
This wasn’t a hit and run. The driver was driving a car with no plates, but he stayed at the scene. I was there. The victim’s family got there a few minutes later and angrily wanted to know “who did it”. I’m not surprised the police didn’t tell them it was the guy sitting in the passenger seat of the car 1/2 a block away.