A trooper’s radar clocked a motorcycle going 130 miles per hour before it crashed just before 2 a.m. Thursday on Interstate 205 in southeast Portland.
Oregon State Police said the motorcycle rider, 52-year-old Toby Olsen, was racing a 2004 Honda motorcycle northbound on I-205 and pulled up alongside a trooper at approximately Powell Boulevard.
Olsen then accelerated rapidly away from the trooper, who locked in a radar speed of more than 130 miles per hour. The trooper did not pursue the motorcycle rider, but watched and broadcast information when he saw the motorcycle crash under the Stark Street overpass.
The motorcycle rider rear-ended a Lexus SUV driven by 78-year-old Amelia Alvarez. Although the Lexus sustained significant damage from the collision, Alvarez was uninjured.
Olsen was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and was reported in critical condition at midmorning, troopers said.
KOIN-TV reports the man’s blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit. Troopers confirmed alcohol was a factor in the incident, along with speeding.
All northbound lanes of the freeway were closed during the investigation. The freeway reopened about 4 a.m.
Please consider donating to our Community Funded Journalism effort that has placed five reporters in The Columbian’s newsroom supported entirely by our community’s donations through the Local Media Foundation.
Read and share all our stories with your friends and family today. And please consider donating to local journalism at columbian.com/cfj.
Continue reading
Support local journalism
Your tax-deductible donation to The Columbian’s Community Funded Journalism program will contribute to better local reporting on key issues, including homelessness, housing, transportation and the environment. Reporters will focus on narrative, investigative and data-driven storytelling.
Local journalism needs your help. It’s an essential part of a healthy community and a healthy democracy.