Portland Police Bureau
11/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/01/2024 16:18
Officer's Vehicle Sideswiped by Drunk Driver (Photo)
November 01, 2024 15:03
A Portland Police Officer is recovering from minor injuries after his vehicle was sideswiped by a drunk driver on the freeway.
On Thursday, October 30, 2024 at 8:28p.m., two Portland Police Officers assigned to Central Precinct responded to a call of a crash on Interstate-5 northbound at Southwest Multnomah Boulevard. When they arrived, they found a vehicle on its top. Initial investigation revealed that the driver was going too fast in the dark, rainy conditions, lost control on the wet pavement, crashed into the barrier, and flipped over. The driver was unhurt. Officers assisted the driver by requesting a tow for the damaged vehicle.
The officers' vehicle was parked in the right lane with overhead police lights activated to alert approaching drivers of the dangerous situation and allow a safe working space for the tow truck operator. Officers recognized the dangerous situation, as despite the rainy weather and the police activity, drivers were speeding by the scene. To try to minimize the risk, a second PPB vehicle was parked behind the first with overhead lights activated to further alert drivers.
One officer was in the passenger seat and the other was standing outside the vehicle on the freeway shoulder. The officer in the vehicle had his seatbelt on because he was aware of previous incidents where officers' vehicles had been struck in similar circumstances.
At 9:03 p.m., a driver approaching at high speed from behind sideswiped the driver's side of the police vehicle, jolting the vehicle forward. Neither officer immediately reported being hurt. The driver that hit them pulled over to the shoulder and was interviewed by an officer from the Portland Police Traffic Division. Kwesi Djorgee, 59, of Portland, was arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (alcohol), Reckless Driving, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person (2 counts).
The officer who was in the PPB vehicle was later checked at the hospital for back pain and will be out of work for at least the next few days.
The Portland Police Bureau reminds our community that emergency and transportation personnel are working on and along your roadways. Move over or slow down when you see flashing lights of any color from a vehicle parked on the side of the road - any vehicle from a tow truck, public works, emergency response, hazard lights on a car or semi, law enforcement or ODOT vehicles. It will save lives and it's the law.
Oregon's Move Over law ( https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_811.147 ) requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down five miles below the speed limit for an emergency vehicle, a roadside assistance vehicle, a tow vehicle or ambulance, when it is displaying warning lights. That includes any vehicle stopped displaying hazard lights.
And of course, do not drive impaired. PPB and its partners encourage people to drive safely and drive sober. Each year, law enforcement personnel respond to preventable collisions that can deeply impact those involved, their families, and loved ones. All road users are encouraged to avoid actions that might lead to a collision, including impairment, speed, distraction, and disobeying signals.
PPB would like to remind the public that drug-impaired driving is just as dangerous, and illegal, as alcohol-impaired driving. Officers will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of impaired driving. Drink responsibly and remember buzzed driving is drunk driving.
Photo descriptions:
Front left corner of a blue and white PPB sport utility vehicle with metal push bumper bent and twisted out
Rear view of the left driver's side of the same vehicle showing dents and scrapes along the body panels where the suspect vehicle sideswiped it
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