What happened to Julie Skeen? Fundraiser launched as Portland woman killed in a suspected street racing crash

On Thursday, July 20, 2023, Julie Skeen, 55, died in a fatal crash in Southeast Portland. The vehicle which hit Skeen and killed her was reportedly a racing vehicle that an 18-year-old was driving. As per reports, the vehicles racing were a BMW and a Subaru Impreza. Prior to getting caught in the accident, Julie Skeen was with her husband, delivering the last DoorDash order in her Lexus sedan.

After the crash, Skeen was taken to the hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries. Meanwhile, the driver of the BMW, along with the passenger, was declared dead at the scene. Julie Skeen’s husband, who was with her in the car, sustained injuries but was discharged from the hospital on Monday, July 24.

According to Jodi King, a friend of Skeen, Julie was a generous and loving person. She worked part-time as a food delivery driver and also operated a dog daycare. A GoFundMe page has been launched by King to raise funds to meet Julie Skeen’s funeral expenses and to provide emotional assistance to her grieving family.

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Julie Skeen was one of the three people killed in the fatal crash that took place as a result of racing vehicles

A horrific incident happened after a multi-vehicle crash took place at the intersection of Southeast Powell Boulevard and 63rd Avenue on Thursday at around 9.30 pm local time. While Julie Skeen was making a turn in her Lexus sedan, she was struck by a BMW, which reportedly was involved in street racing.

According to cops, 18-year-old Hannah Fetters was driving the BMW while her twin sister, Grace, was in the passenger seat. Both Hannah and Grace were declared dead at the site, shortly after the crash took place. However, the other car, a Subaru Impreza, which was driven by a 17-year-old boy, did not get involved in the crash.

Describing the tragic accident, Jodi King, Julie Skeen’s friend, said:

“There were some factors that shouldn’t have happened. If those factors wouldn’t have happened, she would still be here with us and we wouldn’t be going through this right now. She was doing DoorDash to make ends meet… and her husband went with her for every single one of them. It was the last thing she was doing for the night.”

According to cops, Julie’s husband, Justin Skeen, received some severe injuries. King additionally spoke about these injuries, and said:

“I know he had some great injuries, a broken sternum, and when you’re trying to heal from all that at the same time that you just lost your wife… She was a great caregiver. Julie took care of everybody and she took care of Justin, you know.”

Reportedly, two GoFundMe pages have been launched for Skeen and the Fetters sisters. Julie Skeen’s fundraiser aimed at raising $20,000 and has received contributions of over $16,000. On the other hand, the fundraiser for Hannah and Grace targeted to collect $27,000, which has crossed the amount already. According to the fundraiser post for Skeen,

“She was a loyal, hysterical, loving, caring individual and did not deserve to be taken from us like this. Such a senseless tragedy!”

Jodi King further stated how difficult it is for her and Julie’s entire family to deal with the tragic loss. Aside from Julie's husband, her survivors are yet to be announced.