Oregon – 4 died and three have been injured after a driver drove over a homeless camp in, early morning on Sunday, authorities reported.
“Driver crashes into homeless encampment
Streets closures in place: Front ST is closed between Union and D STS. Division ST is closed between Union and Commercial,” Salem Police Department Tweeted.
At around 2:00 a.m. in the morning, the state officials in Oregon responded to the incident call and immediately drove those injured in the crash to the hospital. Two died on the spot while the other two breathed their last at the hospital, reported the officials.
“The crash happened just west of downtown Salem near the Union Gospel Mission of Salem’s men’s shelter, which provides services and beds for homeless people,” detailed USA Today.
They further revealed that the driver also got injured and was driven to an Oregon hospital for instant treatment. However, there has been no update on his condition. The officials refused to release the identity of the victims.
When Covid hit the US, it largely affected people living on the streets and some states in the US even halted the removal of homeless camps as instructed by federal health officials. However, the existing situation in the country made many frustrated residents ask for action from the government as extreme poverty plays out on the streets.
In fact, in liberal states where people living in the camps on public properties have been ‘tolerated’ – the government has ordered sweeping encampments and taking other strict measures to deal with homelessness that otherwise would have been long unheard of.
In recent years, states such as Portland have seen an extreme homelessness crisis. According to the 2019 reports, around 4,015 people were homeless, with half of them completely ‘unsheltered’ and sleeping under the sky. The number has likely increased to date, stated advocates.
