PORTLAND, Ore. – A devastating chain-reaction crash in Northeast Portland left one person dead and three others hospitalized Thursday, after a speeding SUV careened onto a sidewalk and struck multiple pedestrians.
The incident occurred shortly before noon near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Ainsworth Street. According to Portland Fire & Rescue, all the collisions at the scene appear to be connected.
Eyewitness Accounts
TriMet bus driver John Bryant, 69, said he saw the small SUV traveling about 70 miles per hour before it mounted the sidewalk.
“He hit a pedestrian, and he kept going — he never slowed down,” Bryant told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Then he hit and killed another pedestrian. There was blood everywhere.”
Response and Casualties
More than a dozen police, fire, and ambulance units rushed to the scene. Three people were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Authorities confirmed that one pedestrian died at the scene.
Erica Fahnbulleh, 52, said she was walking to a nearby Safeway when she saw the aftermath.
“I saw the guy laying on the ground, and people were around him,” she recalled. “I began to pray for him. Everybody’s so emotional, because we watched someone die.”
Ongoing Investigation
Officials have not yet released the identities of the victims or the driver, nor have they detailed what may have caused the SUV to lose control. Police say the investigation is ongoing, and more updates will be provided as information becomes available.
This is a developing story.
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