Police looking for hit-and-run driver after teen hit
SALEM, Ore. – Two teenagers were crossing a street Friday night when a truck hit one of them and then took off, said Don Thomson, spokesman for the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Thomson said the pickup truck hit a 14-year-old girl at about 7:45 p.m. while she and another girl were in a crosswalk at Lancaster Drive SE and Durbin Avenue SE.
Witnesses said the teens had the "walk" signal, Thomson said.
The girl who was hit was taken to Salem Hospital in unknown condition but Thomson said she was talking to paramedics.
The other girl was uninjured and was able to get out of the way of the truck because she saw it coming.
Thomson said the suspect’s truck is a tan mid-1980s, possibly Ford F-150 with rust and slightly raised and loud exhaust pipes.
Most intersections have terrible lighting, so when someone is crossing - at night, when it's raining, wearing dark clothing - they are almost invisible. This intersection has 4 street lights, but how many were working?Â
And was the driver possibly driving drunk or with other intoxicants? We won't know about that night, but the people who are hiding him/her need to turn them over to LE. Otherwise - they are also accessories to the crime.Â
On Thursday, I witness two separate incidents of people in cars endanger pedestrians in crosswalks. In one, a car made a turn and cut off a pedestrian in the crosswalk who had the walk signal and the other cars turning before the person was across far enough for them to legally turn. It's unbelievable the arrogance and impatience of people in cars! A few seconds people!! That's all it takes to obey the law and let a person cross the road. Is a few seconds out of your time worth risking someone's life?  Of course pedestrians should be smart and assume a car doesn't see you. Make eye contact if possible and wear light colored or reflective clothing at night or at least carry a flashlight. Drivers just need to slow down, pay attention to your surroundings and assume that person on the side of the road is going to walk in front of you. It's always better to err on the side of caution.Â
@leapfrogger The same can be said about pedestrians. Why can't they wait for a few extra seconds to make sure the car is not there? Especially when they are harder to see and on the losing side of the physics equation when the 2 meet!
@thunderchief I did say "Of course pedestrians should be smart and assume a car doesn't see you." but perhaps you didn't bother to read that. However, drivers still need to obey the law and be observant at crosswalks. If a pedestrian is in or at a crosswalk with the walk signal, they have the right away. This driver will be caught and will be prosecuted and find that maybe they should have pulled their selfish head out of their ***. Too many people drive around with blinders on and wonder why they get in accidents. Pay attention and anticipate what could happen around you. Most people pay attention only as far as the bumper they're tailgating and wonder why they get in accidents.
Ok all these hit and runs have me Puzzled, why on earth are people doing this? have thy just stopped caring?
@lee986321 Based on conversations with a brother and a friend in LE, I think it's because there are so many people who cannot afford car insurance and are scared to death to stop because of it.
I don't understand not stopping, though, insurance or not. That's a PERSON lying in the road.
Roads would be much safer if we taught pedestrians to wait for gaps in the traffic, instead of trusting drivers. Not only are some drivers bad, but pedestrians are difficult to see at night. Cars are larger and decked out in lights. People are smaller and not lighted. No amount of laws or wishful thinking will make unlighted pedestrians easy to spot at night. On top of this, pedestrians about to cross the street are often indistinguishable from the drivers point of view, from all the other pedestrians not crossing the street.
I think that is Chief Thunderthud.
@thunderchief Wait for gaps in traffic? Yeah, maybe if the pedestrian is jaywalking. These kids had the right away in a crosswalk. The driver is the only one at fault here. I don't disagree that pedestrians shouldn't assume they are safe in a crosswalk because there are too many selfish & stupid drivers on the road. But short of making pedestrian over passes all over the place what else can be done except asking drivers to obey the law and pay attention!!! It's not that hard when you're not so self absorbed and concentrate on driving which is the only thing you are supposed to be doing behind the wheel.....not texting, not talking on the phone, not eating, not putting on make-up, etc.
@thunderchief I can invent a lighted jacket if that would help..have super bright and blinding LEDs
i wonder if this horrific avoidable insidiose carnage will be repeated with people coming from zwicklemania, which is being proudly promoted by another artical on this website. !!!  thoughts and prayers in advance for those that WILL lose a loved one this weekend...this long drunken weekend. "boogity boogity boogity...lets go racin boyz!"
Try the foloowing: insidiou or article And it is "those who."
@Ken Ling 'insidiose', 'artical', .... er, what?
@ThePosterFormerlyKnownAsPhredE @Ken Ling Its fishbait Phred.. he's just trolling again!
Could the victims have been Goths dressed in black? I myself have had close calls with near invisible people or could they have been apparitions?
@Ramona The victim was in a crosswalk with the walk signal, either the driver was not paying attention and ran the light, or was turning and not paying attention. Possibly on phone or texting, no insurance, or license, or possibly driving while impaired. Can't put the blame on those in the crosswalk with this one.
@Ramona So you are saying is are they dressed in black. It's thin veiled way to say are they black.  You frigging racist.
I didn't get that from her comment at all, but way to stir the pot!
Cool. A teenager gets run down IN AN EFFING CROSSWALK, and now it is her fault? Why do you insert garbage you just make up?
@Ramona Out here around SE 122nd I have had close calls also. Maybe not goth but some do dress to be invisible maybe the uniform for criminals. I have noticed beer packaging uses reflective colors to help us be seen at night
@Ramona If that is her in the Shiny red car, probably not goth.
Lot of bad drivers out on the road, lately.
@Diogenes It was another illegal." Ford F-150 with rust and slightly raised and loud exhaust pipes."
Couldn't have been a cowboy, I suppose, now, could it?
How about a drunk illegal cowboy?