The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office responded with multiple agencies to a Thursday-afternoon hit-and-run crash that left debris, including the suspect vehicle's license plate, scattered all over Highway 26.
The suspect driver fled the scene, and deputies located the abandoned suspect vehicle a short distance away. The Sheriff's Office is seeking tips as it searches for the suspect driver.
The hit-and-run occurred just after 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. The suspect truck -- a Dodge Dakota -- was traveling eastbound on Highway 26 when it hit the center cable divider at Milepost 31 near Cherryville.
The collision took out approximately 40 vertical posts in the cable divider, scattering debris -- including pieces of the suspect truck -- across the highway. A vehicle in the oncoming westbound lane was hit by debris.
The suspect driver fled the scene in the truck, leaving several pieces of the truck behind -- including its Oregon license plate: 977BFN.
A deputy happened upon the scene shortly after the collision, and was soon joined at the scene by Oregon State Police, Sandy Fire, and USFS Law Enforcement and ODOT.
"If that barrier hadn't been there, there's no way the suspect wouldn't have gone into oncoming traffic," said the responding deputy. "In the past, before ODOT put up that divider, there were several traffic fatalities on that stretch of road. I was really impressed with how well-made that divider is, too -- ODOT already repaired it. It likely saved lives today."
Deputies quickly located the suspect vehicle abandoned on Terra Fern Drive off Highway 26. According to a witness, the suspect driver (believed to be an adult male) fled on foot.
Deputies also interviewed the victim driver whose car was hit by debris -- and contacted the registered owner of the suspect truck.
The registered owner told authorities she had sold the vehicle two years earlier, but had failed to notify DMV of the sale.
"One big teachable moment here: It's important to notify the DMV of a vehicle sale for this very reason," said the responding deputy.
Photos of the hit-and-run scene and the recovered suspect truck are attached.
TIPS SOUGHT: Do you know the driver of the suspect vehicle in Thursday afternoon's Highway 26 hit and run? Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line — by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online email form at https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff/tip . Please reference CCSO Case # 20-017754.