A three-vehicle Oregon car accident near Tillamook this weekend took the life of a 79 year old man from Aloha, Oregon in Washington County.
The Oregonian, citing the Oregon State Police, reports that the accident took place on State Route 6 Saturday afternoon when “a 2013 Hyundai Elantra… was stopped on Wilson River Loop and attempting to turn east onto Oregon 6 when it pulled out in front of a westbound 2003 Chevrolet Silverado. The Silverado’s 16-year-old driver attempted but was unable to stop and collided with the driver’s side of the sedan.” As the crash unfolded both of the vehicles then hit a third.
The driver of the Elantra was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, according to The Oregonian, while his passenger, a 78-year-old woman was “airlifted to a Portland-area hospital.” There were no reported injuries to either the teenager driving the Silverado or to any of the three people in the third vehicle – among them a three-year-old child. According to the newspaper all of the occupants of all three vehicles were wearing seat belts.
As an Oregon auto accident lawyer I am always saddened to see cases like this, where a single driving mistake appears to have set off a chain of events effecting many people with fatal consequences. The aftermath of this Oregon car crash will take many weeks if not months to sort out as the injured recover and a grieving family struggles to get on with its life. The sort of careful safety measures and infrastructure improvements I have often written about on this blog are essential if we are to improve safety on our streets and highways. The first responsibility for safety, however, always lies with each of us whenever we get behind the wheel.
The Oregonian: Oregon 6 Crash near Tillamook claims life on Aloha man