The initial release from Salem PD:
The Salem Police Department is currently investigating a fatal crash on Portland Rd NE at Wayside Terrace NE, which has Portland Rd closed in both directions between Hyacinth Rd and Northgate Rd NE....
On November 11th, 2019 at 6:18pm officers responded to the report of a pedestrian struck while attempting to cross Portland Rd, near Wayside Terrace Ave NE. Witnesses stated that the female pedestrian was crossing Portland Rd in a marked crosswalk when a vehicle travelling northbound on Portland Road struck the pedestrian. Witnesses to the crash stopped and attempted life saving measures on the pedestrian, who was later prounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the vehicle stopped and remained on scene and is cooperating with investigators. There were no injuries to anyone in the involved vehicle.
This crash remains under investigation and further details regarding the cause of the crash will be released as they become available. Investigators are currently working to identify the pedestrian and notify her next of kin.
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| The enhanced crosswalk at Wayside Terrace with center refuge island and flashing beacons |
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| The Portland Road project has an enhanced crosswalk at Wayside |
Update, mid-afternoon Tuesday: An update from the Salem PD still erases the driver (see below for notes on this), and focuses on the fact that the beacon may not have been flashing:
Salem Investigators have identified the victim of yesterday's fatal crash as 60 yr old Salem resident Josephine Watkins. The victim was struck by a vehicle driven by a 19 yr old driver as she was attempting to cross Portland Rd near Wayside Terrace in a marked crosswalk. The crosswalk is equipped with functioning warning lights but witnesses stated the lights were not activated at the time of the crash.(This post will be updated.)
The cause of the crash is still under investigation. No arrests or citations have been issued at this time.
On Reporting Conventions
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| Columbia Journalism Review |
[Headline:] "Woman dies after being hit by car on Portland Road NE"
Police are investigating a fatal crash Monday evening involving a pedestrian on Portland Rd NE at Wayside Terrace NE.
The crash was reported around 6:20 p.m. after a woman was struck by a car while crossing Portland Road near Wayside Terrance, according to Salem Police officials.
Witnesses told officers the woman was walking in the crosswalk when the vehicle — traveling northbound on Portland Road — hit her.
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| First print version (mainly third online version) Still little reality for the driver: Passive "struck by car" trope in first paragraph |
- "Headline Omits Verb, Erases the Driver; New TRB Paper Addresses Problem" (2019)
- and see the way the story develops with different publications in "Driver Strikes and Kills Marshall Leslie on Foot near Downtown Safeway." (2019)
- "Why so much Acceptance for Traffic Cone Theory of Walking?" with discussion of a Salem Police PSA (2015)
- Notes on a City of Salem PSA this month, "City PSA on Time Change and Safety Needs Paradigm Change Itself." It has many links to the history of jaywalking also. (2019)
- On "distracted walking," "Death on Foot: Too Much on Distracted Walking Canard."
- "Why Pedestrian Rights themselves may not be Sufficient." (2015)
- Two discussions of a law review article about our system of subsidy for autoism, "The Laws for Compulsory Autoism at The Atlantic," and "Police Publish Video on How to Speed Without a Ticket." (both 2019)
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| We said "troubling" in 2015 but really, how troubled are we? |
- Marshall Leslie
- Linda Adamson (south Salem) and Stephanie Ashford (just outside Salem)
- Jason Libel (on bike)
Killed in 2017
Killed in 2016:
- Olivia Stroup
- Jaren Nash
- Alex Armes
- Anthony Earnest
- Baxter Harrell
- Unknown (just outside Salem)
- Bradley Goad (in Silverton)
6 comments:
The work on Portland Road is complete, and Google StreetView even has the image from June 2019. It shows the intersection of Portland Road and Wayside Terrace has a marked crosswalk on the south side with rapid flashing beacons.
Thanks for the info. Revised to reflect that and added a few more links on erasing the driver.
Updated with Josephine Watkins' name.
Updated with print version
She died because the signalized crosswalks provide information that is not reliable. Just because the signal is not activated does not mean that nobody is crossing. A driver that does not see flashing lights is less vigilant.
You are missing the point, Anon. Our theory and laws of crosswalks do not require the kind of information you want them to provide. Unmarked crosswalks do not have any signal function to provide information. Drivers should not depend on infrastructure for signal functions.
The burden should also not be on people on foot to provide information, as if they needed to be walking traffic cones; equally, we should not create a default expectation in drivers that no signal or bright clothing means no person walking. In an urban context, the burden for safety should be always be on the person employing lethal speed and power: The driver.
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