The Portland Police Bureau has identified the scooter rider who was killed last Friday in a collision with an Amtrak passenger train in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood. The deceased has been confirmed as 58-year-old Thomas W. Houff of Portland, and his family has been notified.
According to the City of Portland, the incident was first reported at approximately 10:08 a.m., when Portland Police officers from the Central Precinct responded to Southeast 11th Avenue and Southeast Clinton Street. Upon arrival, officers pronounced Thomas W. Houff dead at the scene. The Amtrak train that struck the rented scooter had come to a stop following the collision.
The Portland Police Traffic Division Major Crash Team is conducting a detailed investigation into the cause of the collision. As a result, Southeast 11th Avenue was closed between Southeast Division Street and Southeast Clinton Street. The Portland Police Bureau is asking anyone with information about the crash who has not yet contacted authorities to come forward.
The incident is the 36th traffic-related death recorded by the Portland Police Bureau this year. It is the fourth fatal accident involving an e-scooter thid year and the first to involve the city’s heavy rail system. In compiling traffic fatality counts, the PPB includes cases sometimes excluded from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s figures, such as incidents on private property or medical events linked to crashes.
The Portland Police Bureau provides these statistics to maintain transparency and give a comprehensive overview of traffic-related fatalities in the city. As per the PPB, their count differs from that of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, which follows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s criteria. The PPB includes additional categories such as suicide-related crashes and incidents involving non-motor vehicles.
