PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The mother of 15-year-old Fallon Smart, who was hit and killed on Hawthorne Boulevard on August 19, made a plea to city council on Wednesday afternoon to make streets safer.
Abdulrahman Noorah, 20, faces 2nd-degree manslaughter, hit-and-run and reckless driving charges for Fallon’s death.
Fawn Lengvenis spoke in front of Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Dan Saltzman about how she raised Fallon as a Portland kid who knew how to be safe when crossing streets.
“I told her, Fallon, it’s not enough that cars stop when you’re crossing the street. You must make eye contact with the driver because you don’t know if that driver is stopping for you,” she said.
Fawn testified that the day Fallon was killed, she took her to Hawthorne Boulevard. “Before we parked, she asked where is the crosswalk? I told her every intersection is a legal crosswalk, a statement that will haunt me forever.”
“I left her that morning in a bubble tea shop so she could socialize with her peers. I didn’t say goodbye because I didn’t want to embarrass her. I didn’t tell her I loved her. After the crash I blamed myself for hours. With time I have come to believe I did everything I could to keep her safe. I taught her everything I knew about pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety and it still wasn’t enough to keep her alive.”
“Something larger has to be done so that children aren’t harmed and that other mothers have a chance to say, ‘I love you.'”
City council held a moment of silence for Fallon following Fawn’s testimony.