A 76-year-old man is facing a six-to-eight-week recovery after a hit-and-run driver in a black Dodge Ram pickup truck struck him in a Milwaukie crosswalk, leaving him with life-threatening injuries and his family demanding answers about why it happened. Kamal Hassan was walking in the crosswalk at Southeast Fuller Road and Southeast Harmony Road when the truck hit him and the driver fled the scene.
According to KPTV, Hassan noticed a man yelling from inside his truck moments before the collision on Wednesday, August 26. Witnesses told KOIN-TV that the driver accelerated and swerved directly into Hassan before speeding away, a maneuver Hassan's family believes was intentional rather than an accident. Hassan's son, Jamal Hassan, has been by his father's side since the crash and says he is seeking justice.
Hassan suffered a broken pelvis that required nearly six hours of surgery and multiple blood transfusions, according to a GoFundMe campaign his family set up to help cover medical costs. The station's report notes the collision happened around 10 a.m. in broad daylight, near Clackamas Community College's Harmony Campus and TriMet transit connections in unincorporated Clackamas County. Hassan is a retired Palestinian immigrant who moved to the United States in 1968 and, before the crash, walked as many as 10 miles a day — a routine he says he plans to return to once he recovers.
Family Believes the Attack Was Targeted
Jamal Hassan told KPTV his father believes the hit-and-run was targeted, though he says his father does not harbor hate toward the driver despite the severity of his injuries. The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office's elder and biased crime division is investigating the incident, per the same account, and deputies are encouraging anyone with information to contact investigators. No suspect has been publicly identified or charged, and the allegation that Hassan was targeted because of his identity remains an unproven claim at this stage.
Oregon law treats fleeing the scene of an injury crash as a serious offense regardless of motive. Under Oregon Revised Statute 811.705, failure to perform the duties of a driver to injured persons is a Class C felony that elevates to a Class B felony carrying up to 10 years in prison when the victim suffers serious physical injury or death. Drivers involved in injury crashes are required to remain at the scene and render reasonable aid.
Bias Crime Statutes Could Come Into Play
If investigators determine Hassan was targeted because of his race, national origin, or another protected characteristic, prosecutors could look to Oregon's bias crime statutes. Under ORS 166.155 and ORS 166.165, as outlined by the Oregon Department of Justice, targeted acts that intentionally injure or threaten a victim based on perceived race, color, religion, or national origin can be charged as Class A misdemeanors or Class C felonies. Those standards were strengthened under Senate Bill 577 in 2019.
Bias-motivated incidents remain a persistent issue statewide. The Oregon Department of Justice's 2024 Bias Crimes Annual Report recorded 2,726 valid bias-motivated reports across Oregon, with race-based targeting the single largest category at 1,216 reports. State officials have said a 7% overall decline in reports that year likely reflects underreporting rather than a genuine drop in incidents. Oregon also operates a statewide Bias Response Hotline at 1-844-924-2427, created under Senate Bill 577, which offers trauma-informed support, non-emergency reporting, and interpretation in more than 240 languages and fielded over 2,700 contacts in 2024.
A Corridor With a History of Hit-and-Runs
This is not the first hit-and-run to strike a vulnerable road user along the SE Harmony Road corridor. In June, Hoodline reported that Milwaukie police were searching for a white SUV that side-swiped an e-bike rider near SE Linwood Avenue, causing serious head and extremity injuries before fleeing. Statewide, Oregon Department of Transportation crash data show traffic fatalities totaled 539 in 2024 and 487 in 2025, with pedestrians and other vulnerable road users making up more than half of traffic deaths in Portland-area urban corridors in recent years.
For now, Hassan's family is focused on his recovery and on pushing the investigation forward. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office tip line at 503-723-4949.
