Bend PD identify pedestrian struck, killed on N. Hwy. 97
(Update: Police release name, details of crash)
Officers say one driver stopped, but 2nd apparently hit man, didn't stop
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A 32-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed by a station wagon and apparently a second vehicle as he tried to cross North Highway 97 in Bend before sunrise Friday morning, police said.
Sgt. Eric Hagan identified the man as Micheal Powell, whom he said was a transient.
An investigation found that Powell was dressed in dark clothes as he tried to cross the highway from east to west just north of Grandview Drive before sunrise, around 6:40 a.m., Hagan said.
A 26-year-old Bend man was driving an Audi A6 wagon heading north in the right-hand lane when he struck Powell, the sergeant said. The driver immediately stopped, called 911, remained on scene and cooperated with investigators.
However, Hagan said investigators believe Powell then was struck by a second, southbound vehicle, whose driver did not remain on scene.
"Speed is not considered to be a factor," Hagan wrote in a news release, adding that no citations were issued. "It is unknown why Powell entered the highway in this area," he said.
The investigation remains active, Hagan said, and anyone who witnessed the incident or has more information was asked to call Deschutes County non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911.
Bend police were assisted at the scene by the bend Fire Department, Oregon State Police and ODOT. The crash investigation limited Highway 97 traffic to one lane in each direction, with intermittent closures, until it fully reopened before 9 a.m.
Powell's Facebook page, last updated last February, linked to a GoFundMe page entitled, "Putting Family Back Together," in which he described, "Me and my wife are fighting for our kids, trying to get housing … both of us are doing well and recovering, just starting jobs."
"Right now, there's no indication there was a crosswalk or anything of that nature," Hagan told NewsChannel 21 earlier at the crash scene. "But the pedestrian was crossing against the traffic while it was still dark out, and unfortunately it did result in a fatality."
