Washington County Sheriff’s issued a statement this morning about two crashes involving bicycle riders. Both happened on roads that are popular cycling routes: NW Dairy Creek and NW Old Cornelius Pass Road.
Sheriff’s say the first crash happened Saturday night, but the rider was not discovered until Sunday morning around 7:15 am. According to their statement, deputies responded to a hit-and-run crash at the 22400 block of NW Dairy Creek Road where a woman on a bicycle was “struck overnight by a vehicle.” The road in this location is a typical, two-lane rural road. There is little to no shoulder space and there doesn’t appear to have been any cross-traffic.
The bicyclist, who has not yet been identified, suffered serious leg, facial and other injuries and authorities believe she spent the night alone, outside and in a ditch until being discovered alive Sunday morning by a passerby. She was transported to a local hospital. The driver fled the scene and remains on the loose.
Anyone with information on this crash is encouraged to call non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111 and reference case number 50-25-9657.
A few hours later, just before 11:00 am on Sunday, deputies responded to a bicycle crash at NW Old Cornelius Pass Road and NW Cornelius Pass Road. This location is about five miles southeast of where the woman was discovered on NW Dairy Creek Road. This intersection is part of a very popular route that connects NW Germantown to NW Philips Road.
The Sheriff’s office says an adult male on a bicycle was traveling north on NW Old Cornelius Pass Road. For some reason, deputies say the bicycle rider “suddenly crossed directly in the path of a vehicle traveling south on NW Cornelius Pass Road.”
The man is a 55-year-old from Northwest Portland. The Sheriff’s office says his family has requested privacy. He suffered serious injuries and is still in critical condition. The driver remained at the scene and is not suspected of any crimes.
Anyone with information is asked to call non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111 and reference case number 50-25-9663.
The main witness to this second collision has contacted BikePortland to share what they saw. The witness (who’s asked to remain anonymous), said he was on his bike at the same intersection (crossing in the opposite direction) and was watching the signal for his chance to go when he saw another rider coming in the opposite direction. When the victim began to pedal into the intersection northbound, the witness said he was hit by a westbound Tesla sedan. The witness recalled being surprised to see the other rider enter the intersection, since he clearly recalled the cross traffic on NW Cornelius Pass Road having a green light.
The witness who contacted BikePortland speculated that the bike rider might have gotten confused by the signals or perhaps another car at the light might have blocked his view of traffic.
Both of these collisions are incredibly unsettling. I’ve biked on these same roads many times over the years and I’m sure some of you have as well. My thoughts are with each of the riders and I hope they make full recoveries. If you have any information to share, please get in touch.
