The investigation continues into last night's crash.
North Precinct officers were dispatched to single vehicle crash. Officers arrived to find that a car had crashed through the fence of a house in the 8300 block of North Dickens Street. The car struck the house and then continued through the back fence. It then struck a house in the 8500 block of North Charleston Avenue. There was extensive damage sustained to both houses as a result of this crash.
Some of the boards from the fence punctured the windshield of the suspect car and struck the passenger. The passenger was transported by ambulance to a local area hospital with life threatening injuries. His medical status is unknown at his point.
The driver of the vehicle, 29-year-old Ronnie Lee Smith, was transported and lodged into the Multnomah County Detention Center on assault, driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving charges.
The primary investigator is Officer David Enz. He can be reached at 503-823-2208 or at David.Enz@portlandoregon.gov.
This is the 57th Major Crash Team activation for this year.
The Portland Police Traffic Division is committed to providing enforcement and raising awareness regarding traffic safety for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians. Each year, traffic officers respond to preventable collisions. These collisions can deeply impact those involved, their families and loved ones. Traffic officers' number one priority is to address behaviors of all road users that might lead to a collision, including speed, impairment, distraction, and disobeying signals.
The Portland Police Bureau works closely with our partners in government and the community to create safer streets and work toward reducing, and eventually eliminating, traffic fatalities as part of Vision Zero.
To learn more about the City of Portland's Vision Zero effort, please visit: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/40390
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###ORIGINAL MESSAGE BELOW###
The Major Crash Team (MCT) is responding to the area of the 8500 block of North Charleston Avenue to assist in a traffic crash investigation involving an individual suffering life threatening injuries. It appears that a vehicle crashed into a residence. Traffic is affected in the area.
No additional information is available at this time. The PIO is not responding to the scene.
An updated news release or social media post will be pushed out as investigators learn more. There is not an estimated time on when that update will be provided.
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