A man has been arrested and charged with drunk driving and assault for his role in the death of a bicycle rider.
In a statement released a few minutes ago, Portland Police say they responded to a collision at SE 145th and Powell Boulevard on Sunday (7/13) around 7:00 pm. When they arrived, 85-year-old Portland resident Raymond Myers was seriously injured, but was expected to survive.
The driver, 54-year-old Hiep P. Tran of Portland, was visibly intoxicated at the scene and was ultimately arrested. He has been charged with Assault in the Third Degree and Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. On Monday morning, PPB were notified that the victim had died. That triggered an additional Negligent Homicide charge for the driver.
This section of Powell Blvd (Higway 26) is just a few blocks from Powell Butte Nature Park. It has one standard travel lane in each direction and painted, unprotected bike lanes. The speed limit is 30 mph.
The Oregon Department of Transportation is currently working on a project that will bring much safer bike lane designs to this stretch of Powell. Phase 2 of their Outer Powell Safety Project began last month and will include a host of safety upgrades — including a raised, separated bike lane. The goal of the project is to bring Powell up to good condition in advance of a jurisdictional transfer to the City of Portland as prescribed by legislation passed in 2017.
It’s unclear what led up to Sunday’s fatal collision and whether or not planned safety upgrades would have impacted behaviors of Tran or Myers.
According to the BikePortland Fatality Tracker, this is the 16th fatal traffic crash in Portland so far this year. That’s less than half the total on this same date last year.
Police are still investigating this collision. If you saw it or have any information, contact crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn: Traffic Investigations Unit and reference case number 25-186800.
