17-Year-Old Sole Survivor Identified After Easter Crash Into Portland’s Willamette River
PORTLAND, Ore. — A 17-year-old is the sole survivor of an accident that occurred during the early hours of Easter Monday when a vehicle, traveling at high speed, crashed into the Willamette River in Portland.
Sole survivor DJ Buckner was treated for non-life-threatening injuries in the accident, which claimed the lives of three young men.
Yesterday (Sunday) morning, officers from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office River Patrol Unit and Dive Team recovered the third body from the river. An autopsy will be conducted on the 20-year-old male by the Medical Examiner.
On Easter Monday, Daily Tidings reported that the accident occurred shortly after 2 a.m. that morning, after a Portland Police Bureau officer from the Central Precinct observed a vehicle traveling at high speed, running red lights, in the wrong direction in Downtown Portland.
The vehicle traveled across Southwest Naito Parkway before turning into Waterford Park and plunging into the Willamette River.
Later that morning, two bodies were pulled from the water. A third occupant was presumed deceased, and his body was recovered yesterday. Sole survivor DJ Buckner was treated at the local hospital.
- Apr. 6, 2:09 a.m. : Officer spots wrong way speeding car downtown.
- Minutes later : Car crosses Naito, enters Waterfront Park, and goes into river.
- Apr. 6 : One teen survives, two people are recovered, one passenger is presumed dead.
- Apr. 12 : MCSO recovers a body near Southwest Naito Parkway.
The other two victims of the accident have been identified as Roberto C. Garcia-Chavez (19) and Trent Badillo (17).