Elderly man dies in July crash, marking record high traffic death toll for Portland

Jashayla Pettigrew
·2 min read
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland police were recently notified that a driver who was involved in a car crash over the summer died on the same night of the incident. This marks the city’s 64th traffic-related fatality of the year, exceeding last year’s historically high number of 63 deaths.

The Portland Police Bureau’s Central Precinct officers responded to the collision around 9:20 a.m. on July 24. Officials reported that 88-year-old Rex Bills was driving along W Burnside Rd and NW Hermosa Blvd when he crossed over the center line and over-corrected his vehicle, causing him to lose control and head off of the road.

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Bills was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. A medical examiner determined that he died later that evening, due to the injuries he sustained in the crash.

Portland’s Traffic Division didn’t learn of his death until Wednesday.

According to the latest Deadly Traffic Crash Report, the city recorded 63 traffic fatalities in both 2021 and 2022. Transportation officials previously said this was the highest death toll in the past 30 years.

Last month, the Oregon Health Authority also launched a dashboard with statewide data on the trend of rising traffic injuries and fatalities. The researchers found that transportation-related fatalities increased from 351 to 606 from 2010 to 2022.

Now, with Portland’s 64th fatal crash of 2023 and with the rest of the busy holiday travel season ahead, drivers are encouraged to “prioritize safety and minimize risk-taking behavior to prevent traffic deaths.”

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Residents have also asked the Portland Bureau of Transportation and other leaders to do their part to address this crisis, starting with signing a pledge to acknowledge this issue that impacts the city, state and the country.

PBOT says its Vision Zero program will make streets safer with new traffic cameras, lights and speeding policies.

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