Are you familiar with the high-risk roads and intersections in Portland? In 2023, Portland recorded the highest number of traffic deaths in at least three decades. Three-quarters of deadly crashes occurred within the High Crash Network, Portland’s 30 deadliest streets and intersections.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is working to install safety improvements and is following a data-driven approach to making streets safer. As work progresses, driver awareness is important, especially on high-risk roads and intersections.
Many traffic accidents are caused by carelessness or negligence on the part of a driver. The Portland personal injury lawyers at Rizk Law help people injured in car accidents caused by others seek full compensation for their medical expenses and accident-related losses. Founding attorney Richard Rizk is a former insurance company insider who knows how to motivate insurers to pay car accident claims in personal injury cases.
If you’ve been severely injured in a car accident that was someone else’s fault in Portland, Oregon, we urge you to contact Rizk Law for a free consultation. An experienced personal injury attorney can explain your legal options for pursuing compensation from the at-fault driver and their insurance company.
What Is Considered a Roadway Risk in Portland?
The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s High Crash Network includes the 30 streets and deadly intersections in Portland, where the most fatal crashes occur. The agency says in its 2024 report that 74% of Portland traffic deaths in the last five years occurred on streets in the High Crash Network.
Pedestrians made up 35% of Portland traffic deaths in 2023, with 24 pedestrians killed in crashes. In 2021 and 2022, more than 40% of traffic deaths were pedestrians.
Many of the city streets and intersections with the highest crash rates are in East Portland. In 2023, East Portland’s traffic death rate per 100,000 was 15 compared to nine in the rest of the city.
The Bureau of Transportation says a variety of factors contribute to an increased accident risk on certain roads, including:
- Multiple travel lanes. Fatal car accidents are more likely to take place on wide streets with four or more lanes. Drivers are more likely to speed on multi-lane streets. They are more dangerous for pedestrians to cross than two-lane streets. City streets with four or more travel lanes account for 54% of traffic deaths in 2023. When including other wide roadways — interstates and county bridges — the figure rises to 72% of traffic deaths.
- Speeding. More than half of the traffic deaths in Portland involve people driving well above posted speed limits, the Bureau of Transportation says. In 2023, 40 out of 69 traffic deaths involved speeding or driving too fast for traffic and weather conditions.
- Low light conditions. In 2023, 77% percent of traffic deaths occurred at dusk, nighttime, or dawn. Among pedestrian deaths, 83% occurred in low-light conditions when pedestrians would be more difficult for motorists to see.
- Impaired driving. Impaired drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs contribute to many deadly crashes,” PBOT says. For crashes in which it is known that the driver was intoxicated, 47% were fatal (18 deaths in 38 crashes).
- Vehicles running off the road. Over the past five years, 20% of all traffic deaths are due to fatal crashes happening to drivers who run off the road. Speeding and impairment are typical factors in this type of crash, which involves people in automobiles and motorcycles.
The record death toll in 2023 included a disproportionate representation of people experiencing homelessness. Half of the pedestrians who died in car accidents in 2023 (12 of 24) were homeless. This homeless community comprises less than 1 percent of Multnomah County’s population but accounts for 19% of traffic deaths within the City of Portland.
Shared Liability’ in Traffic Accidents
When you hire a Portland personal injury attorney from Rizk Law, the attorney will gather evidence to demonstrate who was at fault for the car accident and develop a personal injury claim.
When we can prove that the other driver was at fault, we demand payment for our client from the at-fault driver’s car insurance. As part of a personal injury case after a car crash, injury victims may seek compensation for:
- Medical bills
- Lost income
- Physical pain and anguish
- Emotional trauma
- Reduced quality of life caused by disabilities or disfigurement/scarring
Sometimes, the evidence shows that multiple drivers involved in an accident share financial liability for a crash. Oregon law follows a modified comparative negligence rule. This standard allows an individual to recover compensation in an injury claim if they are partially at fault for their injuries but reduces the amount they receive according to the share of the blame they bear. For example, if a jury awards you $100,000 in damages but then decides you were 25% at fault for the car accident, your compensation would be reduced to $75,000.
Oregon law states that a person may recover compensation if their fault in the accident does not exceed the fault of others responsible for the injured party’s harm. If a jury finds that you are more than 50% to blame for the accident, then you would be ineligible to recover compensation.
As an experienced personal injury lawyer at Rizk Law develops your car accident claim, our team will work to refute false allegations against you and minimize the impact of evidence suggesting you were partly to blame for the cash. Our goal is to recover full and fair compensation for all of your losses in a car accident.
Top 5 Most Dangerous Roads in Portland
Here are the High Crash Network’s most dangerous streets where people were killed from 2017 to 2021:
- NE Marine Drive (16 deaths, including motor vehicle occupants, motorcycle operators and passengers, and pedestrians)
- SE Powell Boulevard (14 deaths)
- Lombard Street (11 deaths)
- 122nd Avenue (11 deaths)
- NE Columbia Boulevard (9 deaths)
Examples of Serious Accidents on Portland’s Most Dangerous Roads
- 7000 block of Northeast Marine Drive, February 24, 2024. A rear-end collision leaves one driver dead and a second charged with manslaughter, driving under the influence (DUI), and reckless driving.
- Southeast Powell Boulevard between Southeast 60th Avenue and Southeast 72nd Avenue, July 21, 2023. Three women die, and a man is injured in a crash involving two cars, one of which was allegedly street racing. As police investigate, a driver hits an unmarked, unoccupied police car with its emergency lights on that was blocking traffic. The uninjured driver is cited for driving while under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) and reckless driving.
- Northeast Lombard Street and 33rd Avenue, October 29, 2023. The driver and passenger in a small SUV died at the scene of a collision with a pick-up truck. The driver of the pick-up is detained for a criminal investigation.
- NE 122nd Avenue at NE Russell Street, May 19, 2023. Two drivers racing southbound on NE 122nd Avenue from the I-84 exit collide broadside with a Ford 150 pickup truck entering the roadway from NE Russell Street. The 58-year-old female driver of the pick-up truck dies in the hospital after undergoing multiple surgeries.
- Columbia Boulevard [CN2], near the interchange with Northeast 33rd Avenue, May 29, 2024. A vehicle crashes into a utility pole, and the female driver is pronounced dead at the scene.
Top 5 Most Dangerous Intersections in Portland
When roads intersect, the convergence of cars and trucks at high speeds often leads to motor vehicle accidents. The Federal Highway Administration says roughly 25% of traffic fatalities and about 50% of all traffic injuries in the United States are attributed to intersections.
Driver error, poor visibility, and inadequate signage are some of the common factors contributing to intersection accidents. Drivers who run stop signs or red lights, pass illegally or violate other traffic safety laws pose a risk to pedestrians and cyclists, as well as other vehicle occupants.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s list of deadliest intersections, 2017 to 2021, are:
- SE Division Street and SE 122nd Avenue (104 crashes, 87 injuries, 1 death)
- SE Stark Street and SE 122nd Avenue (99 crashes, 98 injuries, 3 deaths)
- SE Powell Boulevard and SE 82nd Avenue (102 crashes, 105 injuries, 0 deaths)
- SE Powell Boulevard and SE 148th Avenue (52 crashes, 46 injuries, 2 deaths)
- NE Halsey Street and NE 122nd Avenue (68 crashes, 47 injuries, 1 death)
Examples of Serious Intersection Accidents in Portland
- Southeast 122nd Avenue and Stark Street, December 31, 2023. A motorcyclist dies at the scene of a collision between a motorcycle and a car. A passenger on the motorcycle is also taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
- Southeast 148th Avenue and Powell Boulevard, July 8, 2019. One person dies, and another is hospitalized with critical injuries after a suspected hit-and-run driver allegedly runs a red light, strikes up to four vehicles, and flees on foot. Police arrest the suspect several blocks away.
- Northeast Halsey Street and Northeast 122nd Avenue, December 27, 2019. A man walking shortly after 6:30 a.m. is struck by a car and killed. The driver of the vehicle remains on-site and cooperates with police.
Contact Our Portland Personal Injury Law Firm
When you have been seriously injured by a negligent driver on a dangerous Portland road or intersection, you should have an experienced personal injury attorney review the accident and help you understand your legal options. A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer can guide you through the claims process and demand full compensation for your losses. Contact Rizk Law today for a free consultation with a Portland car accident lawyer. Our law firm does not charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.