A 28-year-old Tacoma man is dead after a three-vehicle crash on Portland Avenue sent his car into a power pole with such force that it split the vehicle in half. Duran Tessema, a Tacoma native, was the only person transported to the hospital from the three vehicles involved, and he later died from his injuries.
The crash happened around 11:14 p.m. Sunday in the 5900 block of Portland Avenue, according to The News Tribune. Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Shelbie Boyd confirmed the collision involved three vehicles, though it remains unknown exactly how the other two vehicles were struck. The circumstances of the crash are still under investigation, per the same account.
Tessema was identified by the medical examiner as the driver whose vehicle struck the pole. His official cause of death remains listed as pending in the Pierce County Medical Examiner's public portal, which now identifies him by name.
A Tacoma Native Remembered as a 2017 Graduate
Tessema graduated from Mount Tahoma High School in 2017 and was from Tacoma, according to the reporting. Beyond his hospitalization and death, no additional personal details have been made public.
Another Fatal Crash on a Corridor Flagged as High-Risk
The stretch of Portland Avenue where Tessema died sits along a corridor that city officials and traffic planners have repeatedly flagged as high-risk under Tacoma's Vision Zero initiative, which has a goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries on city streets by 2035. Tacoma's traffic safety data includes traffic crash fatalities and serious injury crashes on city-monitored streets.
In December 2023, the city was awarded a $2,119,250 grant from the Puget Sound Regional Council to design safety and traffic-calming improvements along Portland Avenue from East 27th to East 56th Street. Tacoma has continued its traffic safety efforts. The city has also pursued efforts to lower driver speeds.
A Recurring Pattern of Deadly Crashes Along the Corridor
Sunday's crash is not an isolated incident along Portland Avenue. In April, another fatal speed-involved collision occurred at 72nd Street East when a vehicle crashed into a power pole, killing one occupant and critically injuring another, as Hoodline previously reported.
Statewide, traffic fatalities are also a concern in Washington.
Exactly how the three vehicles interacted before the fatal impact, and whether speed or impairment played any role in the crash, remains unclear pending the ongoing investigation. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet finalized Tessema's cause of death.
