On Tuesday morning, a 40-year-old McMinnville man was pronounced dead at the scene of a multi-vehicle collision involving two large trucks and a modified motor home on Oregon Highway 18. The driver who died, Miguel Martinez-Perez, was operating his motor home close to Sheridan when the deadly Oregon truck accident happened.
Oregon State Police say the motor home driver was turning at Christensen Road when his vehicle was rear ended by a Mack truck driven by Portland truck driver Devin Lewis for Walsh Trucking, a Troutdale company. Lewis’s truck was pulling an empty chip trailer.
The impact of the crash reportedly pushed the motor home into the side of the empty Kenworth truck being driven by Astoria truck driver Michael Olson, who was driving for James Gedenberg Trucking of Astoria. While Lewis did not sustain any injuries in the multi-vehicle accident, Olson suffered minor injuries.
OSP and the Multi-Agency Traffic Team are investigating the multi-truck accident.
NHTSA Large Truck Crash Facts for 2007
• There were 4,808 people killed in truck accidents involving 4,584 large trucks.
• 802 of the people who died were large truck occupants.
• 4,006 of the people who died were riding in other vehicles or were pedestrians or pedalcyclists when the large truck crash happened.
• At least 100,000 victims were injured in truck collisions involving 76,000 large trucks.
• 23,000 large truck occupants were among the injury victims.
• 77,000 truck accident victims were riding in the other vehicles or were pedalcyclists or pedestrians.
• Almost 24% of large truckers involved in deadly crashes had at least one prior traffic conviction for speeding.
McMinnville man killed in three-vehicle crash on Oregon 18, The Oregonian, December 2, 2008
Astoria trucker hurt in accident in which another driver is killed, Daily Astorian, December 2, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Large Trucks Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, NHTSA
Oregon Truck Safety, Oregon.gov
Large truck accidents can be catastrophic for everyone involved. In Oregon, contact Portland Truck Accident Attorney Matthew Kaplan today to explore your legal options.