Father of woman killed by bus: ‘She was adorable’
PORTLAND, Ore. - The father of one of the victims killed after being run over by a TriMet bus late Saturday night described his daughter as “adorable” and said Monday she will be “sorely missed.”
On Sunday night David Sale sat in a chair at the intersection of Northwest Broadway and Glisan where his daughter Danielle, 22, and 26-year-old Jenee Hammel were killed. He said he wanted to just sit where his daughter took her last breath.
Sale’s boyfriend, 22-year-old Erik Gittings was taken to a hospital and was in serious condition Monday. Two others, Jenee’s brother Ryan and his new wife, Jamie, sustained non life-threatening injuries.
“They were not doing anything wrong and were unaware that there was even a bus approaching,” David Sale said Monday afternoon at the intersection where his daughter was killed.
“Although we appreciate how the impact of this tragic event has affected our entire community, we ask for the gift of sensitivity and privacy as we attempt to cope with our devastating loss.”
Sale was accompanied by his wife and other family members as he spoke about how much his daughter will be missed.
“She was just adorable. She was an amazing person. She will be in our hearts forever. She will be sorely missed. These bus drivers just got to pay attention, they just have to.”
Sale has visited his daughter’s boyfriend in the hospital.
Former dance team members at Fort Vancouver High School described Danielle Sale as ambitious and who cared deeply for her boyfriend.
“I know Erik moved here from Boise,” said Rachel Pohan, a friend of Danielle. “They met when she was a student at Boise State University, and he didn’t have anyone here when he moved. He moved just to be with her.”
Pohan also said, “It was her goal to change the world. She wanted to get into the field of medicine and things like that, and she did it, she changed a lot of us.”
The incident happened when a bus on TriMet’s No. 9 route was heading west on Northwest Glisan Street and made a left turn onto Broadway hitting the group that had just left a comedy club down the street.
The traffic signal was green and the walk sign was on. The group was crossing Broadway, but investigators still don’t know where they were and which lane the bus was in when they collided.
They also said vehicles were parked on either side of Broadway and Glisan, but they don’t know which spots they were in, how big or small they were and if they blocked the bus driver’s view.
According to TriMet, the driver was 48-year-old Sandi Day, who was hired in 2007. She has taken a drug test, TriMet officials said, but the results of that test have not yet been released. According to TriMet, Day was at the end of her shift, but officials have not confirmed how many hours she had worked.
She has been placed on administrative leave.
The families of the victims will return to the intersection at 9 p.m. Monday for a vigil to remember those they’ve lost.
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