E-Scooter Rider Seriously Injured by Car in Southeast Portland

Photos at the scene show the scooter still trapped under the car and a helmet and shoe scattered nearby.

A electric scooter rider nears a curb. (Wesley Lapointe)

An e-scooter rider was hit by a car on Southeast Foster Road near 103rd Avenue on Wednesday, July 31, around 6 pm.

It's one of the most serious traffic injuries to involve a scooter rider since the debut of the rental scooters last summer. However a Portland Bureau of Transportation spokesperson says that, judging from the photos, the agency believes the scooter involved in the crash was not a rental. The collision was not fatal, but the rider was taken to a local hospital to be treated for traumatic injuries.

Witnesses said that the e-scooter was traveling north on Foster "at a high rate of speed," and crossed the street without slowing down or activating the crosswalk signal, according the Portland Police Bureau.

The car, a Ford Focus, was traveling east when it struck the scooter. The driver stayed at the scene to cooperate with investigators.

Police say the crash investigation is still open.

Photos and video taken at the scene show the scooter still wedged under the Ford Focus, and the car's front windshield shattered and severely dented.

A helmet, bag and shoe belonging to the scooter rider were also scattered near the car.

East Portland News first reported the crash.

The collision comes as Portland attempts to reduce traffic related deaths in high crash corridors. As WW reported last week, the city has spent over $47 million on street safety improvements in the past two years and plans to spend another $60 million in 2019.

Related: Thirty-Four People Have Died in Portland Traffic This Year. These Are Three of Them.

Still, this year there have been 34 traffic deaths so far; the same number as all of last year.

Clarification: This story was updated to note that PBOT believes the e-scooter was privately owned and not a rental. 

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