The person who was killed in a collision with an Amtrak train last Friday has been identified as 58-year-old Wayne Houff.
The full investigation hasn’t been released, but it appears Houff was riding a Lime electric scooter southbound on SE 11th south of Division and was attempting to cross one of the four sets of rail tracks prior to being hit.
According to friends and co-workers, Houff was a paralegal who dedicated his life to helping people navigate the criminal justice system. He served over 20 years in prison and a friend and colleague of his who contacted BikePortland said he rode a scooter because his incarceration made him ineligible for a driver’s license.
The nonprofit Adults in Custody posted a memorial to Houff on Instagram. “He never let the system define him,” it says. “Instead, he studied it—mastered it. Wayne became the go-to for incarcerated people trying to navigate a system designed to break them. He didn’t just read case law—he rewrote futures.”
Here’s more from AIC:
“I vowed to learn everything I could about the Just Us system—not just for me, but for everyone who didn’t have a voice.” That vow never faded. Even after release, Wayne kept showing up—for those still inside, for those newly free, for anyone who needed guidance, compassion, or just someone who understood.
He was a man of many talents. A journeyman builder. A visual artist whose work hung in galleries. A volunteer at Blanchet House. A fisherman. A friend. Wayne could talk law one minute and crack a joke the next. He made people feel seen. Safe. Heard.”
Houff was engaged to be married and I’ve heard his fiancé will attend Sunday’s World Day of Remembrance event. More on that event, here.
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Rest in peace Wayne. Thanks for your good works to the community.
Is the train operator okay?
But seriously, your formulation just doesn’t work: people die when cars, trucks, and trains run into them. Yes, a human is operating the car, truck, or train, but you really need a better formulation – maybe two sentences (main killed by train and train driven by a human who was tested and not under the influence etc).
yeah thanks. i’ll look at that again.
Fred, you’ve actually circled right around to the point. Yes, a human being is operating the train, and that person often ends up carrying a pretty heavy emotional load afterward.
People sometimes talk about these incidents as if the train is some sentient beast charging around on its own. In reality, there’s a driver up front who usually had no chance to stop in time and then lives with the memory forever. The research on PTSD among rail operators is pretty stark. They see things most of us couldn’t handle for a day.
So it isn’t just a wording issue. It’s simply acknowledging that there are two traumas here: the heartbreaking loss of the person who died and the driver who will replay that moment every night long after everyone else has moved on. A clearer picture, just not a cheerier one.
It’s not just the UP driver in the cab (there might have been more than one), but also the switch operators along the tracks, the Amtrak conductor and the other train staff, plus the numerous passengers – they might not have seen the incident and thus suffer as badly as the unfortunate driver – but they certainly are aware of the incident and the subsequent police investigation and trip delay.
what was he in prison for?