On December 3, 2022, at 4:44 p.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a crash near 15160 NW Laidlaw Rd. in the community of Bethany. 911 callers reported a car and a motorcycle crashed and the man driving the motorcycle was injured.
The first deputy was on scene in less than three minutes and immediately began life savings efforts. Additional deputies and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue paramedics helped, but 23-year-old Feliciano Cruz Morales of Hillsboro was pronounced dead at the scene. His family was notified of his death.
The driver of the car, a 2019 Kia Niro, remained at the scene and cooperated with deputies. The Washington County Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART) responded to lead the investigation.
CART is a multi-agency team of specially trained law enforcement officers from the Sheriff’s Office, local police departments and the Washington County District Attorney’s Office. The team investigates and reconstructs traffic crashes that may result in the prosecution of felony assault or manslaughter charges. The team also assists with diagramming crime scenes.
