Gresham police are again asking the public for help after a late January hit-and-run that left a pedestrian dead and a neighborhood shaken. Officers identified the victim as 46-year-old Jeremie Skordahl, who was struck while crossing SE 182nd Avenue just before 9 p.m. on Jan. 20. He was taken to a hospital and remained on life support for more than a week before he died. Investigators say the vehicle involved was later found nearby, unoccupied, and that the East County Vehicular Crimes Team is handling the case.
In a Feb. 10 Facebook reel, the Gresham Police Department publicly identified Skordahl and asked anyone with information or video to contact Officer Ryan Gomez at [email protected]. Emergency crews had responded to a crash in that area of Gresham on the night of Jan. 20, according to KOIN.
Skordahl's partner, Amy Robinson, wrote in the reel that “Jeremie had overcome a lot in his life,” a short tribute that police included as part of their appeal for witnesses, according to the Gresham Police Department. The post notes that his mother, Gay Skordahl, is among his survivors and that he was kept on life support from the night of the crash until his death just over a week later. Investigators say the case remains under active review.
Wider safety picture in Oregon
Skordahl's death fits into a troubling pattern on Oregon roads, particularly in the Portland metro area, where many of the deadliest crashes happen on fast, multi-lane arterial streets. State data show fatal and serious-injury crashes have climbed in recent years, with people walking and other vulnerable road users making up a disproportionate share of those killed, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. National research finds pedestrian deaths remain well above pre-2016 levels, which traffic-safety advocates say is a big reason investigators push hard to collect camera footage and eyewitness accounts after hit-and-runs, per the Governors Highway Safety Association.
How to share tips
Police are asking anyone with information, dash-cam recordings or doorbell video from the area to save the original files and contact investigators. Officer Ryan Gomez can be reached by email at [email protected]. Tips can also be phoned in to the Gresham Police tip line at 503-618-2719, according to the City of Gresham. Detectives are particularly interested in anything seen or recorded near SE 182nd Avenue and SE Market Street on the night of Jan. 20.
