Neighbors say they warned ODOT before fatal crash at Scholls Ferry Road intersection

Weeks after a motorcyclist was killed at the intersection of Scholls Ferry Road and Highway 219, dozens of community members gathered Thursday night with a common message for the Oregon Department of Transportation: They say warnings about the intersection went unheeded for years. The June 15 crash killed Brandon Henderson , prompting neighbors and Henderson's family to call for safety improvements at the rural Washington County intersection. While ODOT says it is reviewing the fatal crash, the agency says its current crash data does not identify the intersection as a location with a pattern of crashes requiring safety improvements. "There are no words to explain what it feels like to tell your children that someone they love unconditionally isn't coming home," Henderson's wife, Jalisa Henderson, told those gathered at the community meeting. "If there is something that can be done to make that road safer, then we owe it to Brandon and to every other family. We need to fight for it." Residents say they repeatedly warned ODOT Neighbors said they have contacted ODOT for years about crashes and close calls at the intersection, arguing that poor visibility, high speeds and limited warning signs make it dangerous. "This intersection has always been unsafe, and we've been telling ODOT that there have been serious accidents many times, and ODOT has uniformly at first refused to do anything about it," said Olivia Johnson, who has lived in the community for much of her life. Johnson said residents have asked ODOT for years to study the intersection and are still waiting for answers about a preliminary review she said the agency discussed in 2024. She described hearing screeching tires and emergency vehicles regularly and said crashes have become a familiar sight. "I wake up to the sound of screeching tires and car horns so often," Johnson said. Community members are not demanding immediate construction, Johnson said, but they want ODOT to present a timeline for evaluating the intersection and explain what interim safety measures may be possible. ODOT: Crash data does not show a pattern ODOT says it evaluates safety using its Safety Priority Index System, which ranks locations based on crash rates rather than the total number of crashes. The agency calculates crashes per vehicle miles traveled, allowing engineers to compare intersections with different traffic volumes across the state. "I don't know that this intersection has indicated any trend to us, but when there is a fatal crash, it often triggers a second look for us," ODOT spokesperson David House said. House said finalized crash data currently extends through 2024, while preliminary fatal crash data is tracked separately for 2025 and 2026. He said the June 15 crash will be reviewed once investigators have more information, including the completed police report. ODOT says fatal crash could prompt closer review ODOT says the June 15 crash did not automatically qualify for an evaluation under the agency's Vulnerable User Crash Response Program because it involved a motorcycle. The program is limited to crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists. However, the agency said the fatal crash could still prompt engineers to take a closer look at the intersection through other safety review processes. "We don't know what the factors are in this crash," House said. Although ODOT has not determined whether changes are warranted, House said the agency is considering whether improvements could be appropriate after completing its review. "We may end up looking at some low-cost change there, but again, we need to know what were the factors that led to this crash," he said. House said potential improvements could include additional warning signs, vegetation clearing to improve visibility or other intersection-specific safety measures if they are supported by the investigation. Residents want a plan Residents acknowledged they do not expect immediate construction but said they want ODOT to communicate what comes next. Earlier this week, ODOT told residents through its GovQA public records portal that staff had reviewed the recent crash, the intersection's crash history and previous safety reports. The agency said it is preparing responses to residents' requests for information and will provide them through the GovQA system. For Henderson's family, the meeting was less about assigning blame than preventing another tragedy. "We can't change what happened to us, but maybe, just maybe, together we can prevent another family from experiencing the same heartbreak," Jalisa Henderson said. "Please don't let Brandon be forgotten when you leave this room. Keep speaking up, keep asking questions, keep showing up, keep fighting with us until real changes are made."