A tragic collision between two vehicles closed a section of Southwest Barbur Boulevard for hours on Friday morning, as reported by the Portland Police Bureau. One of the drivers has been arrested on charges of vehicular manslaughter.
According to the initial findings of the Portland Police Bureau's investigation, the driver of a silver 2011 Toyota Scion was heading east on Southwest Barbur shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Friday morning, exceeding the speed limit and without headlights on.
The Scion collided with a silver 2011 Honda Odyssey minivan heading north on Southwest 22nd Avenue, causing both vehicles to spin and crash into an exterior wall of a bar on the northeast corner of the intersection, as reported by the Police Bureau.
Three adult men were inside the Scion. All three were taken to the hospital, and despite efforts to save his life, one passenger died. Another passenger was seriously injured but is expected to survive. The driver received treatment and was arrested after receiving medical attention.
The Portland Police Bureau stated that the driver of the minivan, also an adult male, was medically evaluated at the scene of the accident but did not require an ambulance.
The police concluded that the accident was due to a combination of intoxication, high speed, and lack of visibility. The driver of the Scion, identified as Espoir M. Kaneke, 26 years old, was arrested and taken to jail on charges of first-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants, and reckless driving.
The name of the deceased man in the collision will be released once the family has been notified, reported the Portland Police Bureau.
Southwest Barbur was closed for hours while the Portland Police Bureau's Major Crash Team responded to and investigated the incident. The road was reopened around 10:30 a.m.
Anyone with information about the collision who has not yet spoken to the police can email crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference Case No. 23-191095.
This was the second fatal collision in Portland within a few hours. At 9:34 p.m. on Thursday, two people died and two were injured in a collision at Southeast Powell Boulevard and Southeast 63rd Avenue. The police reported that one of the two injured individuals had life-threatening injuries, and the investigation kept the road closed until approximately 6:30 a.m. on Friday.
The Portland police stated that the Friday collision was the city's 41st traffic-related death in 2023, including 10 in July.
Originally posted at Abogados de Accidentes
