Hit-and-run crash in Lents kills pedestrian and two dogs

Portland police are investigating a deadly hit-and-run crash in the Lents neighborhood. It killed a pedestrian and two dogs they were walking on Southeast Holgate.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Neighbors agreed it was an awful scene Saturday morning along Southeast Holgate Boulevard at Southeast 100th Avenue in the Lents neighborhood after a deadly hit-and-run crash.

The Portland Police Major Crash Team spent several hours investigating the crash, which took the life of someone walking on Holgate just before 7:30 a.m. Police said that the pedestrian was walking two dogs, and both were also killed in the crash. The victim has not yet been identified.

It happened at or near a crosswalk on Holgate. So far police have said only that the crash involved two vehicles, and that the pedestrian and dogs were killed during the collision. After the crash, one of the two drivers ran off.

To bystanders at the scene it looked like one car was rear-ended, and it did not appear to be a low-speed collision.

“That tells you that they were going way too fast for this area,” said Tammy Binford, who grew up in Lents. Living along Holgate now, she said speeding is a major problem.

“Because we listen to them all night long up and down here flying — motorcycles, cars, the loud cars. They race up and down here and it’s just getting worse and worse,” she continued.

Portland designates Holgate Boulevard as a high-crash street, one of 30 identified as such in the city. In an attempt to combat those crashes, the speed limit has been lowered to 30 miles per hour and the Portland Bureau of Transportation has made some safety moves, like improved crosswalks.

Joe Krahn said that the crosswalks are not improved enough.

“You know there are no lights flashing at that crosswalk, there are some blind spots, there’s a telephone pole blocking cars’ views,” he said.

Krahn said he and his wife use the crosswalk where this crash happened all the time.

“It’s very saddening … I think that I could potentially recognize the person, right? We walk these routes every day and I don’t know them, I don’t know their life, but that’s a big loss for somebody in our community,” said Krahn.

As for the vehicle traffic on Holgate, Tammy Binford doesn’t see an easy solution.

“I am not sure, seriously, unless they put speed bumps all the way up and down. It’s the only thing that would probably slow them down.”

Police are still looking for the driver who ran from the scene. They ask that you contact them if you saw anything or have security video that might help investigators. Please contact crimetips@portlandoregon.gov, attention traffic investigations unit, and reference case number 22-190280, or call (503) 823-2103.