Two young Portlanders were crossing Northeast Glisan Street Friday afternoon when a driver sped by, hit one of them, then fled the scene.
In an email sent Monday to families who attend nearby Laurelhurst School, Principal Alyson Brant said two students were crossing NE Glisan at 41st around 3:00 pm when the collision occurred. Brant says the victim suffered a broken tibia in addition to bruises and scrapes. “We are incredibly lucky that the situation did not have a more dire outcome,” Brant wrote.
41st is a designated crossing of a neighborhood greenway. It has a striped crosswalk, a push-button activated overhead signal, and yellow caution signage meant to warn drivers of the presence of people crossing. A story in The Oregonian yesterday reported that, despite all this, witnesses said the driver was going about 40 mph, which is “extremely fast for the area.”
This section of Glisan is just three blocks from Laurelhurst School. It’s a school zone with a speed limit of 25 mph. It’s also just one block east of the large Coe Circle where two eastbound lanes merge into one.
The school says they’re in contact with the Portland Bureau of Transportation to consider changes to the intersection that would make it safer. “We hope to soon have an engineer come assess the area and review possibilities for enhancements, including flashing lights along the crosswalk, more visible ped xing signs in the center of the street, etc.”
In her email to parents, Brant expressed how dangerous drivers are a common threat in the neighborhood and urged everyone to drive more safely. “A number of near-misses and non-injury accidents have taken place in recent weeks right around the school building,” she wrote.
This crash underscores a disturbing trend of pedestrian collisions and hit-and-runs. At least seven of the drivers who killed walkers on Portland streets so far this year failed to stop. And according to PBOT’s Vision Zero Action Plan Update published this earlier this month, hit-and-run crashes are up 27% in the last five years (2017-2021) compared to the five years prior.
“The emotional scars that the injured and non-injured student sustained at the scene will linger far after the scrapes have healed and the bones are mended.”
– Alyson Brant, Laurelhurst School
While advocates push for changes and government leaders promise changes to address these statistics, Portlanders are left in a state outrage and fear that often results in people being reluctant to let their children roam free on our streets.
“The emotional scars that the injured and non-injured student sustained at the scene,” Brant wrote, “will linger far after the scrapes have healed and the bones are mended.”
UPDATE, 12:49pm: Police confirm the crash and say the driver of a reddish/brown early 90s Volvo is still on the loose.