Posted: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 12:00 am
Police investigate why man was on bypass
By KYLE ODEGARD
Gazette-Times reporter
A local man was seriously injured Monday morning after he apparently walked in front of a station wagon on the Highway 34 bypass.
Thomas Elliott, 58, was taken to the hospital after being struck at about 7:20 a.m. by the car, which was heading east on Highway 34 near the South Third Street off ramp.
Friends and acquaintances at Circle of Hope and Community Outreach described Elliott as homeless.
The driver, Robert Preble, 48, of Salem, was unable to avoid striking Elliott, according to the Oregon State Police. He was not injured in the crash and no citations were issued.
The highway was closed for much of Monday morning and traffic was diverted through downtown Corvallis.
As police investigated the incident, Elliott's shoes and a hat lay strewn in the middle of the road.
Questions remain as to why Elliott was on the highway bypass. There were indications he lives in a homeless camp nearby, said Sgt. Vern Fowler of Oregon State Police.
"We really don't know why he was there or what he was doing," Fowler said. "Basically, what we do know is that it appeared that he was trying to cross the road from the south side to the north side."
Railroad tracks run underneath the bypass close to where Elliott was hit. Evidence of squatting, such as a couch, could be found in the shelter from the elements. There also was clothing and beer cans in bushes along the tracks adjacent to Pioneer Park.
Those in the homeless community describe Elliott as a "real nice guy" who sometimes drinks too much.
Homeless people have complained for months that police roust them out of camping sites, and tell them to sleep on the other side of the Willamette River.
"They kick us out on one side of town and tell us to go across the river," said David Colby. "They have no choice but to go over the freeway (to return to Corvallis)."
Corvallis Police Department spokesman Lt. Ron Noble said police don't tell homeless people to go to the other side of the river because much of that is still city property. Instead, he said, officers encourage homeless people to go to shelters, or spots where they can camp legally.
The local homeless community has had a rough last six months. In November, Guy Gregory Gonzalez, a 44-year-old homeless man, died in an alleyway after convulsing.
In October, Mark Miller was beaten to death near the underside of the Fourth Street bridge, where he liked to drink and socialize with friends. Three local teens have been charged in the killing of Miller.
Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center would neither confirm nor deny that Elliott was being treated at the hospital Monday, due to federal privacy rules.
Kyle Odegard covers Philomath and rural Benton County. He can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.