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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.