Thursday, May 21, 2015

A DRIVER WAS KILLED AND ANOTHER WAS INJURED IN A CRASH INVOLVING A SEMI-TRUCK AND A VAN IN NORTHEAST PORTLAND











MAY 21, 2015

PORTLAND, OREGON

A driver was killed and another was injured Wednesday night in a crash involving a semi-truck and a van, Portland police said.

The driver of the van, Jared Daniel Mack, 37, of North Portland, died at the scene.

Both vehicles caught fire in the crash on Northeast Columbia Boulevard and 17th Avenue. The crash was reported at 9:13 p.m.

Witnesses told police Mack's driving was erratic as he was heading west on Columbia Boulevard. He crossed the middle turn lane and struck the semi head-on.

The truck's driver, 54-year-old Mike Robertson Harp, of Tillamook, was critically injured in the crash.

The semi-truck was carrying mail for the U.S. Postal Service.

Jose Hernandez and his father were driving in the area when they saw the flames from the burning vehicles. They rushed over and heard the driver of the semi screaming. Harp was still trapped inside the truck.

Risking injury to themselves, they ran up to the burning cab to try and get Harp out.

"I wasn't scared," Hernandez said. "I saw the guy yelling and screaming. I told my dad we've got to help him. ... Even if we aren't able to get him out, we should at least try."

Hernandez said he ran to see if he could help the driver of the van, but it was too late.

Smoke still billowed from the destroyed cab almost two hours after the crash.

Several people who work in the area said they heard a boom from several blocks away. One man said it even rocked his warehouse.

Harp was taken to a hospital where he remains in critical condition.

All traffic on Columbia Boulevard is blocked between 15th and 24th avenues, police said.

The crash is under investigation, but investigators said speed may have been a factor. Police have not released the names of the victims.