Third Youth From Early November Car Crash Has Died In Gresham

Press release from the City of Gresham:

November 24, 2020

At 8:50 pm on Nov. 6, Gresham police officers and medical personnel responded to reports of a two-vehicle injury crash in the 600 block of SE Butler Road. Responders found that an eastbound Volkswagen Jetta with six Gresham-area teenagers had crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a westbound Ford F350 driven by a 40-year-old Gresham man.

The male driver of the Jetta, 16-year-old Phoenix Forman, was pronounced dead at the scene. A 16-year-old female passenger, Rita Grace “Gracie” Sukosd, died shortly after arriving at the hospital. A second 16-year-old female passenger, Hailey Aguilar, recently died after being taken off life support. The three other teenagers, one female and two males, and the driver of the pickup, all suffered various degrees of injury but are expected to survive.

The involved teenagers attended four different area high schools and the weight of this tragedy has been felt throughout the community.

The East Metro Vehicular Crimes Team is leading the investigation and working to determine what factors precipitated the crash. No further information is available at this time.

This press release was produced by the City of Gresham . The views expressed here are the author’s own.