Credit: KOIN 6
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  • KOIN 6

KOIN 6 spoke with the family of the man killed early this morning in a hit-and-run on SE Division: He’s 28-year-old Dustin Finney.

Condolences to Finney’s family and friends. This is certainly a terrible, wasteful loss.

This is the first fatal crash involving someone on a bike within the Portland city limits this year, though this week we reported on an uptick in serious bike crashes statewide, including some in the Portland area.

Finney was an everyday cyclist, according to his family, and a Portland Community College student studying environmental science. This appears to be his Facebook, where this week he angrily posted news of a fatal hit-and-run in Clackamas.

BikePortland notes that the stretch of SE Division where the crash occurred is slated for bicycle safety improvements: The city is planning buffered bike lanes on Division from I-205 east to SE 130th Avenue and “better bike lanes” from I-205 west to 77th Avenue. Who knows whether those improvements could have averted this particular crash, but they would certainly be welcome for anyone who bikes down the street. There are also plans to revamp lower Division Street in coming years to make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

A 17-year-old cyclist also injured in the crash suffered minor injuries, but is reportedly doing okay.

If you know any information about a planned memorial for FInney, please let me know and I’ll post it.

UPDATE 11:51 AM: The 17-year-old cyclists left his account of the crash in a comment on BikePortland. According to him, the car was weaving in and out of the bike lane:

The SUV essentially came directly into the bike lane, struck the cyclist behind me at full force which catapulted him several feet in front of me.. I was just clipped and just knocked down, I quickly got up, and saw the damage of what had just happened. They did take to me the hospital for a checkover and I was released later that night, now I’m just really sore. This is just too tragic.

Also, the police arrested the suspected driver, 18-year-old Ashawntae Rosemon. He has been booked into the juvenile detention center and charged with Manslaughter in the second degree, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Failing to Perform the Duties of a Driver, Vehicle Assault of a Pedestrian and Reckless Driving.

Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.

9 replies on “Fatal Bike/SUV Hit and Run Victim Identified”

  1. When possible,I always ride on the sidewalk for this reason.When in the bike lane,I have really no separation between me and a car/truck.At least while I am on the sidewalk,I have another 8 feet of safety.

  2. I’m surprised but grateful that this asshole was charged with manslaughter. I am so sick of hearing stories like this and the drivers (if they ever catch them at all) just being slapped with a $250 ticket.

  4. I’m by no means blaming Mr. Finney for what happened to him, but something like this should underscore that after 11 p.m., cyclists should ride with the practical assumption that fucked up people are on the road around them.

    If I’m biking that late, I’m generally in my own neighborhood where I can take back streets.

    I’m also glad to see the initial charges against the driver, though it’s still disheartening that unless they are under the influence or grossly, grossly reckless, drivers don’t face much in the way of charges when they hit law-abiding cyclists.

  8. Facility hold usually means that someone is already serving a sentence or owes time on another matter while also being held locally on the current offense. A common example is when someone is transported here to MultCo from OSP to answer for another case they will show a facility hold from OSP. (Although MCSO website generally does not say which facility).
    In the link you posted, CC, it may mean that at the time Mr. Rosemon was booked on that last matter he had some type of suspended sentence that was subsequently imposed.
    This sucks. My heart goes out to Mr. Finney’s family.

  9. Dusty worked for us most weekends doing yardwork in Ridgefield! He’d get out here on his bike from Portland where he lived around 10 or 11AM, having biked the entire way!. He had talked to my husband about going to college and was finally doing it getting very good grades.Dusty was bright and very politically astute. He rode his bike everywhere and no I never saw him wear a helmet but he was kinda carefree like that. He also had that young man’s belief in invincibility, but he was great. Everything was coming together for Him and I just can’t believe he’s gone. Actually I made fish tacos for him last weekend for lunch and he wanted to know how to make them. My husband and I watched him eat and eat he burned lots of calories working out here after riding for a few hours. I will miss all our philosophical discussions and how much he talked about his family . I will surely miss him.

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