A driver with a suspended license and allegedly under the influence is charged with Manslaughter in the death of a motorcyclist.
The crash happened at 11:05 p.m. Friday, August 16, 2019 at Northeast 122nd Avenue and Northeast Stanton.
When officers arrived they found a 1999 Suzuki motorcycle down and the involved SUV driver was returning to the crash site in a separate vehicle. Medical treated the rider of the motorcycle but he was declared deceased at the scene. The Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division's Major Crash Team responded and assumed the lead on the investigation.
The motorcycle rider was identified as 56-year-old Karl A. Moeller.
The driver of the SUV was 36-year-old Dorothy Rafeh. Her vehicle was located nearby and seized as evidence.
After an investigation, officers determined that Rafeh was driving southbound on Northeast 122nd Avenue and turned eastbound on Northeast Stanton Street in the path of the northbound motorcycle. Moeller's motorcycle struck the passenger side of the SUV.
Officer established probable cause that Rafeh was driving impaired and arrested her. She was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, Felony Failure to Perform the Duties of a Driver, and Misdemeanor Driving while Suspended/Revoked.
This is the 43rd call out for the MCT this year and the 36th fatality.