A longtime local government worker died Monday afternoon after a driver struck her as she was crossing the street in downtown Salem.
The Salem Police Department said a driver hit Denise VanDyke, 54, around 2:30 p.m. as she was crossing State Street at the intersection with Northeast High Street.
VanDyke stepped into the marked crosswalk when the pedestrian crossing light was on, police said. A van, driven by Teresa Sue Cook, 57, turned onto State Street from Northeast High Street, hitting VanDyke.
VanDyke was taken to Salem Hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Police said Cook remained on scene and cooperated with investigators. No arrest has been made or citations issued, and the police department’s traffic team is still investigating, police said in a news release.
The street reopened around 5:30 p.m.
The crash occurred just outside the offices of the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments, where VanDyke worked for 26 years.
Her title was “administrative assistant,” but executive director Scott Dadson said that fails to capture the myriad tasks she took on for the organization, which brings together government leaders from Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties, cities and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde to work on regional issues and programs.
“It’s devastating to those who knew her and to the community. She played a critical role in many important initiatives in our region,” Salem Mayor Chris Hoy said on Twitter.
VanDyke came from a family of public servants and carried on that tradition, Dadson said.
“She was a great public servant. She was the center of our support world – she literally knows everything here,” he said.
Her work included serving as a clerk for the board; maintaining public information, files and contracts for the council and directing and supervising other administrative assistants.
“We’re having to really scramble because she really did just take such good care of things,” Dadson said. “We’re just in shock still. She was really just an amazing friend to all.”
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
JUST THE FACTS, FOR SALEM – We report on your community with care and depth, fairness and accuracy. Get local news that matters to you. Subscribe to Salem Reporter. Click I want to subscribe!
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
