Monday, July 22, 2024

Driver Kills Person walking on State Street near 47th

Yesterday a person driving struck and killed a person walking on State Street outside the City limits in unincorporated Marion County.

State Street looking west
from 47th (top) to 46th (bottom)

The release was light on details and erased the driver, employing a full "hit by car" trope with passive voice and not disclosing the name of the driver, which has been usual in releases from law enforcement.

From Marion County Sheriff:

Just before 10 AM this morning 911 callers reported a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle on State Street near 47th Ave SE. Deputies and emergency medical services personnel responded to the scene, lifesaving efforts were attempted at the scene, tragically the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.

State Street was closed between 46thAve and 47th Ave for approximately three hours while investigators from the Marion County CRASH Team processed the scene. Investigators determined a silver four-door BMW was going eastbound when the pedestrian was struck. The 53-year-old male driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. No citations or arrests have been made at this time.

The pedestrian was identified as Michael Sissell (61) of Salem.

We offer our condolences to the family during this difficult time.

Erasing the driver, "hit by car" trope

The paper on Tuesday the 23rd just churned the press release that erases the driver and employs the "hit by car" trope.

Active verbs with a driver as agent in Salem Reporter

The story at Salem Reporter is not consistent. The story, perhaps written by a summer intern, says:

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 61-year-old pedestrian, after he was hit by a vehicle Sunday morning in east Salem. At 9:59 a.m. a passerby called 911 to report that a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on State Street....

But a later subhead uses active verbs, "a driver struck a man."

State Street there has multiple offset intersections, with north and south segments of 46th and 47th making a "T." There's an old crosswalk on one part of 46th and a school zone sign in between 46th and 47th. There are no sidewalks, only the shoulder, and legacy 20th century paint-only bike lanes. State Street appears to be signed for 35mph here.

The Sheriff release says nothing about the person trying to cross the street or walking on the shoulder or anything about where they were walking. It says only the driver was eastbound on State Street.

Right-sized to three lanes

State Street is scheduled for a partial urban upgrade near here. Originally the County wanted to widen it to five lanes, and it was scaled back to a three-lane configuration with two car travel lanes and a center turn lane. It would also get a sidewalk on the south side. The project terminated at 46th and may not extend east of that where the crash occurred. But work at the former mushroom plant will make some changes also.

This post may be updated.

Back in 2015 we said "troubling"
but really, how troubled are we?

Killed in 2024

Killed in 2023

Killed in 2022

Killed in 2021

Killed in 2020
Killed in 2019
Killed in 2018
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1 comment:

Salem Breakfast on Bikes said...

Added media clips and info on County widening project.

July 23, 2024 at 7:53 AM

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