A driver killed in a single-vehicle crash on Saturday is the first traffic fatality in Portland of 2025.
After years of increases, fatal Portland crashes fell in 2024.
The name of the most recent victim was not immediately released.
According to the Portland Police Bureau, at 11:03 p.m. on Jan. 4, North Precinct officers responded to reports of a single vehicle crash at the intersection of North Willamette Boulevard and North Burr Avenue. When officers arrived, they found a vehicle had crashed into a pole and the driver was seriously injured.
Paramedics arrived and transported the driver to an area hospital, where they later died. The Portland Police Bureau Major Crash Team responded to the scene to investigate.
The death followed the first year of traffic fatality decreases since early in the pandemic.
Portland finished 2024 with the lowest number of traffic fatalities in years.
Although figures are still preliminary, the Portland Bureau of Transportation recorded 57 fatalities by Dec. 27. That compares to 69 in 2023, 63 in 2022, and 64 in 2021. It is the lowest number since the 54 recorded in 2020.