Pedestrian hit and killed in Northeast Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. – A woman was hit and killed by an SUV Tuesday night, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
Police said the accident happened at about 6 p.m. in the Montavilla Neighborhood in the 7900 block of Northeast Glisan Street.
Police said 29-year-old Heather Jean Fitzsimmons was crossing the street in a crosswalk. One car stopped, but 24-year-old Samantha Mansholt, who was driving a 1985 Chevy full-size Blazer didn't stop and hit the woman, killing her instantly.
Mansholt remained at the scene and cooperated, police said. She didn't show signs of impairment and police have made no arrests or issued any citations at this time, they said.
Police closed Northeast Glisan Street in both directions from 74th to 80th Avenue while they investigated, but the investigation into the driver's speed is still ongoing.
From Page 80 of the Oregon Driver's Manual - something we all read before taking our driver's license test...
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"Stopped Vehicles
Do not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk. This is a frequent cause of death to pedestrians, especially if the passing vehicle is traveling at a high speed. When stopping for a pedestrian at a crosswalk on a mult-lane road, you should stop about 30 feet before the crosswalk so you do not block the visibility of a driver in another lane."
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If you see someone in the other lane stopped at a crosswalk, you are SUPPOSED to stop, regardless of any other circumstance - if you see a car stopped, you stop - regardless of whether you see a pedestrian or not.
Heather was the on-site YMCA teacher at my daughters school...along with the other programs she was involved with on a daily basis...she will be greatly missed by all of the kids,teachers,and parents lives she touched...RIP Miss Heather :}
When It is dark and wet out, drivers should be extra aware when approaching crosswalks. When I see a car in the neighboring lane slow or stop at a crosswalk I do the same. I always imagine a pedestrian in the light-less crosswalks and I always slow down. To the pedestrians... Make sure all vehicles see you before you cross the street crosswalk or not. Also don't run across all the lanes unless you see all lanes at a halt. To Portland... Put bright streetlights at these crosswalks.
 @Sagoode I often wonder why the city puts in crosswalks then has super crappy lighting around them, or worse, none at all! The crosswalks AND the areas on the sidewalks around them NEED to be bathed in bright white light, none of that dim orange sodium halide crap!
It's a lesson to both drivers and pedestrians. Don't make assumptions in either situation, and proceed with caution. My condolences to the family and friends of the victim.
Icarus- As I read your post, I found myself not only a appalled by your ignorant comments, but also absolutely shocked by your spew of judgement, and lack of common sense. You talk of their being so many unexplainable vehicle homicides, and wanting to limit not only my access to drive, but also many thousands others. Really? Please explain to me if you will, how restricting ME (or anyone else), who is a valid, accident free driver, is going to solve this "surge" in unexplained vehicle phenomena. There are two kinds of vehicle vs. pedestrian, not just one. 1. Accident. Wrong place, wrong time. All life altering, for both driver and pedestrian, not to mention their families, bystanders, dogs, cats, you name it, ALL are traumatized. 2. Vehicular manslaughter/homicide. Intently, knowingly, you get the point, and if not, look it up. I am all for everyone looking out for one another, and being pro-active citizens, but according to your comments, you abuse our emergency response, and flood them with Non-emergency calls, which ties up officers from responding to impotent calls (i.e. burglaries, thefts, assualts, rape just to name a few...). Everyone, at some point in their driving lives have been a, hasslehoff, of a driver. You would be lying if you say you haven't, not to mention a hypocrite. Lastly, my prayers are with both involved, and their families.
I know the pedestrian that was killed. She was a very sweet and wonderful person. Anyone that knew her, to whatever extent, is crushed by this. She will be greatly missed for sure. I hope that whoever reads this story and these comments remembers that the need to get somewhere as soon as possible is in no way greater than the need for a person like this to still be with us. I am deeply saddened by this event and truly wish that somehow there is a reform in our way of prioritizing things that comes from it.
It is unexplainable that there are so many homicides by cars and yet the media hasn't started to hype a campaign to limit access or otherwise restrict them. Anyone, can keep a car with very few restrictions and every time a person is killed with a car they call it an "accident".
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When stopping to allow a pedestrian to cross; I ALWAYS turn on my emergency flashers to alert other drivers that there were people crossing and so that I can, at least, report to the responding officer that the guy/woman driver blew by me ignoring every common sense caution with total disregard.
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This is just another case that proves that for every reasonable driver there is at least one other arsewhole driver. It is sad that the driver who stopped to let the pedestrian cross is likely shocked and left feeling guilty and responsible for the death.
 @Icarus Turning on my emergency flashers to alert other drivers may cause an accident like this. STOP THAT! It's like screaming "watch out for the pole" then while the person turns to look at you, they run into the pole.
 @Icarus I couldn't agree with you more and thankyou for being a good driver it is unfortunate that yet another life is taken with no consequence for the person that had the "accident", the family of the victim/s life is forever changed and I applaud you as a person and wish others could be like you.on the road. I have family that has been hit and almost are hit everyday by drivers that have zero regard for them in the crosswalk, so thankyou for being the one who does slow down and STOP for them.
so....to help you understand the difference....when killed by a car, the person driving did not leave the house thinking (with a few exceptions of course)..."I'm going to drive into a crowded mall, movie theatre, school and..."
as opposed to someone leaving the house with a gun "I'm a sick fc%k and I'm going to a school, mall, movie theatre and..."
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 @Icarus Somebody did that at the crosswalk in front of the Rockwood library on Stark Street yesterday. I waved at him and then hoped he didn't think I was giving him the finger, because it's a great idea. I'll do it too!
I'm not quite sure I understand why humans are so quick rush to one extreme or the other when unfortunate events happen. This particular situation - "Oh, walkers are all leftist, entitled and unaware of reality" - "Oh, all drivers do now a days is text and talk on their phone while driving and have no respect for pedestrians" - "Something must be done!"
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People - it was dark, it was raining and it was rush hour. Â That stretch of road isn't any worse or dangerous than hundreds of other stretches of road in the Portland area. Â This was most likely simply an unfortunate situation for both parties (driver and pedestrian - especially the pedestrian for obvious reasons). Â Why can't we chalk certain things up to bad luck, bad timing and perhaps a mistake here or there anymore? Â Everything has to be politicized and dissected to find blame and make sure somebody is labeled the bad guy. Â Was the driver going too fast? Â Maybe, i have no idea. Â Could the pedestrian have double checked to make certain no cars were coming? Â Maybe as well, again, I have no clue. Â Either way - we've ALL darted across traffic once or twice in our lives and simply have been lucky enough thus far not to have been hit by a car. Â We've also ALL driven over the speed limit a time or two and I'm assuming the majority of us have not paid for that infraction by hitting and killing an innocent pedestrian just trying to cross the street. Â So for now, until more info comes out, can't we stop rushing to judgment and just assume this was unfortunate accident?
 @Montavilla I agree with most of what you said but it being rush hour is NOT an excuse. Nobody needs to get anyplace so urgently that taking a life is necessary.
People - it was dark, it was raining and it was rush hour.
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So those are good excuses to use when killing someone? Thanks for the info, I'll try it when I do something similar.
 @disgustedman This driver hasn't been cited.Â
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Those things are excuses, but they are extenuating circumstances.
 @disgustedman *are NOT excuses. I missed word there.
I grew up on Glisan right around there. It's a really crappy area. My sister was hit when we were kids there because people go flying through there.
 @Sarbar My cousin was killed trying to start his motorcycle in front of his house on about 199th and Glisan in about 1965. My point is that we're not the first generations of drivers to not pay attention and kill people. The physics never changes. Fewer excuses for it now, though, so, anyway... Congratulations for surviving growing up in Montevilla.
Wow that's bad
Crosswalk! Â This is why it typifies the Leftist view....great on paper, crappy in reality. Â There really AREN'T Star Trek deflectors on either side of the crosswalk and every few months someone tragically dies when they don't look.
We fear and respect cars back East, can't understand why they don't here
This is my stretch (79th and Glisan) and in addition to needing ADA Accessible curb cuts, some traffic control would help keep cars within the speed limit and help pedestrians and cross traffic. Â I'm not a traffic engineer, but I suspect this intersection gets a pretty low grade. Â So sad.
 @OneArchitectÂ
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Curb extensions, speed bumps, round-abouts, tell me that you as a primary user of the street don't respect my ability to drive sanely and within the law. Any street that has those means that you intend to use mechanics to curb speed and don't feel the need to trust other drivers. So I believe I no longer need to follow the law because I am a decent person, but must go slower because of mechanical changes to the roadway. Therefore I go as fast as possible on streets with calming devices.
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Most bumps are best taken at over 40. Good examples of these are Harold, 39 south of Woodstock and Gladstone. Now Gladstone has curb extensions and round-abouts so in order to maintain 40+ you need to accelerate as you go around the round-about. That way you are going at least 40 when you hit the speed bump. Make sure to be level by then, you don't want to hit the bump at an angle.
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And there you have it.
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Make streets ridiculous for drivers to navigate by adding "traffic caling devices" and I and others will show you how to make those street even less safe.
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If Portland PD actually enforced any traffic laws none of these or many other measures would be necessary. But traffic penalties don't pay the bills anymore apparently so unless you going 50 in a school zone (and even then...) don't plan on getting pulled over.
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 @OneArchitect Mine too. It's nutters around rush hour. Cars going 15, 20 over the speed limit. God help you if you have to try and cross the road as this poor soul found out :( I'm sure the city will put some more paint on the road and maybe a sign or two and then do absolutely nothing useful here.
 @GTPYL08  @OneArchitect Mine also, some of the time. It's too much traffic at those hours and people drive like completely aggressive or distracted dolts.
Dang what is with all these pedestrians getting hit by cars lately!? :(
 @Liberty4_WA Drivers will say it's the peds, peds will say it's the drivers.The reality is there's a subset of society capable of getting so zoned out on their technology that they forget they're operating deadly machinery. It's not new, we just hear about it more. It doesn't have to be a cell phone... it could be a person fiddling with a stereo or looking for a CD. It's just as bad on the street, though. There's a myth going around that peds always have the right of way, everywhere, which is absolutely untrue. But people who think laws protect them from physics are sorely mistaken. I saw a young girl get -nailed- on 148th and Stark several years when she crossed illegally. She cartwheeled way up into the air and landed in the intersection. God, it was horrible. It was like time stopped when she hit the ground. Suddenly she got up and ran over the bushes by the corner and sat down in them and the driver... you could see the grief on his face when he got out and it wasn't his fault but "witnesses" were pointing at him as if he'd done something wrong. x% of citizens just don't pay enough attention whether they're walking, driving, or riding a bike.
@Playanekes @Liberty4_WAÂ Pedestrians need to take care when "plugged in" and look before crossing. The car that had slowed blocked the view of the Blazer, the rest is sad history. I was there.
 @Liberty4_WAÂ
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It's the cars. They hit cyclists and trees and buildings too. It really doesn't matter what it is somebody in a car will run it down....eventually.
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 @Liberty4_WA I am the most careful pedestrian out there. I wait until everyone can see that I'm crossing the street, have a flashlight at night, etc and even then I've almost been run over both during the day and night.  *Drivers* are so entitled. Â
 @CARose  @Liberty4_WA Yeah but if a driver doesn't see you, you're going to live because you are obviously aware of the concepts of See-and-Avoid, Newtonian physics and human nature. You don't expect a law, a flashing light or strip of white paint to protect you from an inexperienced driver who didn't see you hydroplaning her boyfriend's truck into the crosswalk. Other people could learn from that.
 @Liberty4_WA To be honest it's because in Oregon they feel entitled.. Yes, you are entitled, but what they feel to see is the car is entitled to run you over..  Sad story and so young...
 @dougrpdx  @Liberty4_WA As a friend of the victim, that is the last thing she was. She also had a deep respect for cars and crosswalks.Â
 @dougrpdx  @Liberty4_WA That is NOT the way Oregon used to be, but a lot of people moved here with horrible driving manners and caused problems...and then they took driver's ed out of the schools. Another big problem. The huge problem is idiots with cell phones and no bluetooth or TEXTING WHILE DRIVING.
you are absolutely correct....I've been here all my life and not many around here can say that...here's the facts...27% of the population here in Oregon as of Dec.31st 2012 were native....the rest from mostly California....no wonder the TV Newscasts freak out over a "threat" of snow....pansy-arse drivers crapping up the roads....so there you have it, we've been invaded and there's no end in sight.
Condolences to the family
Yeah, that's a bad stretch.