Police are seeking the suspect who fled the scene of a hit-and-run crash on Highway 26 near Cherryville last Thursday — but not before leaving debris scattered across the roadway, including the vehicle’s license plate.
The suspect vehicle itself, a black Dodge Dakota, was found abandoned nearby. The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office says the hit-and-run occurred just after 1 p.m. Thursday, when the truck hit the center cable divider at milepost 31 in rural north-central Clackamas County.
Police said the collision took out approximately 40 vertical posts in the cable divider, scattering debris across the highway. A vehicle in the oncoming westbound lane was also hit by debris.
A deputy happened upon the scene shortly after the collision, and was soon joined at the scene by Oregon State Police, Sandy Fire, and USFS Law Enforcement and ODOT.
“If that barrier hadn’t been there, there’s no way the suspect wouldn’t have gone into oncoming traffic,” said the responding deputy, who was not identified. “In the past, before ODOT put up that divider, there were several traffic fatalities on that stretch of road. I was really impressed with how well-made that divider is, too — ODOT already repaired it. It likely saved lives today.”
Deputies quickly located the suspect vehicle abandoned on Terra Fern Drive off Highway 26. According to a witness, the suspect driver (believed to be an adult male) fled on foot.
Deputies also interviewed the victim driver whose car was hit by debris — and contacted the registered owner of the suspect truck. The registered owner told authorities she had sold the vehicle two years earlier, but had failed to notify DMV of the sale.
The sheriff’s office reminds residents to notify the DMV when you sell a vehicle.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online email form. Please reference CCSO case no. 20-017754.
Photos courtesy the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office:
