A pedestrian struck by a vehicle near Southeast Powell Boulevard and Southeast 71st Avenue in Portland's South Tabor neighborhood died several hours after the crash, and the driver accused of fleeing the scene is now behind bars facing multiple felony charges. Police say 33-year-old Curtis L. Kent of Portland left the scene after hitting the pedestrian, then returned before he was arrested.
Portland Police Bureau East Precinct officers responded to reports of the crash on August 8, according to the City of Portland. First responders provided aid to the injured pedestrian, who was transported to an area hospital before dying of his injuries hours later. As reported by KGW, Kent was arrested after returning to the scene of the crash.
Police identified Kent as the driver of the suspect vehicle and say he was charged with manslaughter in the second degree, DUII, reckless driving, and failure to perform the duties of a driver. He was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. The city's report does not indicate what the pedestrian's blood-alcohol testing or the roadway's visibility conditions were at the time of the crash, and the victim's official identification remains an open question.
Felony Exposure Under Oregon's Mandatory Sentencing Law
The manslaughter charge Kent faces is a Class B felony that, under Oregon Revised Statute 163.125, carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 75 months in prison under the state's Ballot Measure 11 when a person is found to have recklessly caused another's death, according to OregonLaws. Separately, failing to perform the duties of a driver to injured persons is elevated to a Class B felony under Oregon Revised Statute 811.705 when the collision results in serious physical injury or death, per Justia Law. Oregon law obligates drivers involved in fatal crashes to remain at the scene and immediately contact emergency dispatch, regardless of whether they later return, as the statute reflects. The Portland Police Bureau provided case number 26-231302 for the ongoing crash investigation and said it will share additional information when appropriate. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to email [email protected], attention TIU.
A Familiar and Deadly Stretch of Powell Boulevard
The crash site sits along a stretch of Southeast Powell Boulevard that the Portland Bureau of Transportation has designated a High Crash Corridor, part of an 8% subset of city streets that account for more than half of Portland's traffic fatalities, according to Willamette Week. It's not the first fatal crash on that corridor this year — Hoodline reported on a driver killed near SE 56th just weeks earlier. The city rolled out more than 30 automated speed and intersection enforcement cameras across designated High Crash Corridors, including multiple installations along Powell Boulevard, in June, with officials saying the cameras have cut top-end speeding by as much as 94% on monitored corridors.
Citywide Numbers Show Progress, But Pedestrians Still at Risk
Portland recorded 39 traffic deaths in 2025, a 38% drop from the 69 fatalities logged in 2023 and the city's lowest annual total since 2018, the Portland Bureau of Transportation reported in March. Even so, pedestrians and cyclists made up 59% of those fatalities — 23 of 39 — with large vehicles like SUVs and trucks involved in more than half of those fatal crashes, according to bureau data. East Portland itself saw notable improvement, recording 11 traffic deaths in 2025, a 56% drop from previous years and the first time since 2018 the area logged under 20 deaths annually, as reported by BikePortland.
Regionally, Oregon Metro's Safe Streets for All report documented 271 traffic fatalities across the three-county Portland metro area during 2024 and 2025, with planners emphasizing a Safe System approach to reduce speed and human error on arterial roads. Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that even with two straight years of declining fatalities, transportation planners stress that reaching the city's Vision Zero targets will require continuous capital investment in street redesigns. Portland committed to Vision Zero in 2015 with the goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries altogether.
