Articles Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents

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About 50 people, including Portland’s mayor, gathered last week to mark the unveiling of a unique spot: a shrine dedicated to Portland bicyclists by St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, along with the introduction by the church of a formal ‘bicycle liturgy’, according to a recent article in The Oregonian.

Central to the shrine is a ‘ghost bike’ covered in flowers and dedicated to the memory of a young Portland cyclist who was struck by a car and died in an Oregon bicycle accident in 2007. Mayor Sam Adams told those attending the service that “out of the great tragedy of (Tracey) Sparlings death emerged the city’s bike boxes, designed to prevent more right-hook turns like the one that killed” her, the newspaper reported. According to the church publication Episcopal Life, Sparlings was struck and killed by a cement truck which failed to see her while turning. The driver of the truck was not prosecuted.

The event was a reminder that even in Portland – often regarded as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country – riders often find themselves endangered by drivers who are not keeping an eye out for cyclists.

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Four members of a Canadian family were injured in a serious Oregon truck accident last week when what police describe as a “large truck” crossed the median on I-5 near Eugene and collided with an oncoming car, according to a report by local TV station KMTR.

According to the Eugene Register-Guard, the truck, which police describe as “rental style”, was headed south on I-5 at the time of the accident. The truck’s 73-year old driver reportedly strayed across the interstate’s grassy median before colliding with the Canadian family’s northbound pick-up truck. All four family members were taken to area hospitals. None of their injuries are thought to be life-threatening. The southbound truck’s driver was more seriously injured. According to the Register-Guard she was airlifted to hospital, after being pulled from her vehicle by fire department personnel.

Eugene injury accidents such as this can be difficult and costly affairs for the victims and their extended families. Bills for medical treatment, rehabilitative services and even counseling can flood in at a time when accident victims, or loved ones forced to leave work to care for them, are further burdened with emotional distress and the possible loss of wages or salaries.

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With Oregon distracted driving on the minds of many motorists as the state’s new ban on the use of hand-held cellphones and texting by drivers takes effect, a court case in California last week became the latest important legal decision to remind everyone how serious an issue this is.

According to the Associated Press, a 42 year old California man has been sentenced to four years in prison following a car accident in which he struck and killed a pedestrian. Martin Kuehl was texting as he drove through the southern California city of Newport Beach in August 2008. According to the AP, “prosecutors argued that he had an unobstructed view of the crosswalk” where he struck and killed the pedestrian, but “failed to slow down or break in any way.”

Interestingly, the accident took place one month before California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation banning texting behind the wheel throughout the state. That fact is an important reminder that the consequences of Portland distracted driving can go far beyond those directly related to the Oregon distracted driving law.

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The New York Times reported recently on efforts by the federal Department of Transportation to tighten rules governing distracted driving in Oregon and elsewhere in the nation. According to the newspaper, the department wants to make a temporary ban on texting by long-haul truckers permanent. Safety advocates, however, say those rules do not go far enough.

According to the Times, the real concern among highway safety groups focuses on the in-cab computers that have become standard equipment in much of the nation’s trucking fleet. “We want the department to continue down this road of looking at the devices that are highly distracting and take action to curb those as well,” the paper quoted Judith Stone, president of Advocates for Highway Safety, saying.

The department is currently gearing up to take public comments about making the texting rule permanent, but is reported to be receptive to input on a broader ban. Onboard computers are a common sight in the cabs of large trucks. These often combine the features of commercial GPS units with links to dispatchers at a trucking or shipping company’s headquarters.

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Police say a suspected drunk driver in Tigard, near Portland, caused a three-vehicle Oregon car accident late last week that injured four people, one of them seriously. According to The Oregonian, the accident occurred “on the Pacific Highway overpass, just north of Johnson Street” late at night, and closed the effected roadway throughout the following morning.

Local media, quoting police and Oregon DOT investigators, say a southbound vehicle crossed the highway’s center line and hit a north-bound pick-up truck. A north-bound SUV was also caught up in the unfolding Oregon auto accident. All three drivers, as well as a passenger in the SUV, were injured in the incident, according to The Oregonian, with the driver of the pick-up being listed in the most serious condition of the four.

Oregon auto accidents, especially those involving Portland or Beaverton drunk drivers, can be costly and emotionally traumatic for months or years after the fact. The government is well-positioned to punish Oregon drunk drivers with criminal sanctions, but these do little or nothing to address the pain and suffering of Oregon drunk driving car accident victims.

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Junction City, midway between Eugene and Salem, was the site of a serious Oregon truck crash last week, one that left a 20 year old father and his infant son both critically injured. According to the Eugene Register-Guard, Cory Jackson and his 9 month old son Eli were driving in the family’s Volkswagen Jetta when their car was struck by a truck. Both father and son were transported to area hospitals.

Police told the Register-Guard that Jackson “drove into the path of the truck.” In the immediate aftermath of the accident, however, they were unable to provide many further details. The accident took place at the intersection of Highway 99 and Milliron Road in Junction City. A portion of Highway 99 was closed for about four hours as police investigators and an accident reconstruction team worked on the accident site, according to TV station KMTR.

Oregon truck accidents can take an horrific toll on ordinary passenger cars. When the crash leads to a Eugene child injury accident the results are especially tragic. In such instances, contacting an Oregon car crash attorney as quickly as possible following the accident can be one of the most important moves you or your loved ones make.

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An Oregon bicycle and car accident in which a Portland man allegedly intentionally hit a cyclist is being heard in the Clatsop County courts. Prosecutors say the 23 year old driver “just took off” after hitting a cyclist in Seaside, according to TV station KVAL. The station reports that the suspect was found hiding in the woods after abandoning his truck near the scene of the accident.

The Oregonian reports that the cyclist was seriously injured in the incident, and that the driver has been charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault and felony hit-and-run. Bail was set at $250,000.

The accident is a reminder of the importance of both cycling safety, and of the need for the strict enforcement of laws requiring motor vehicles to share the road with law-abiding Oregon bicycle riders. Drivers who intentionally run down cyclists are, mercifully, rare. Far more common, however, are careless motorists who simply do not pay as much attention as they should to Oregon bike riders. A Portland bicycle injury lawyer can advise cyclists who have been hit by cars – whether accidentally or intentionally – on their legal rights and whether they are entitled to damages to cover expenses incurred as a result of an Oregon cycling accident involving a car or truck. Such accidents can be especially dangerous, since Portland cyclists hit by a car stand a significant chance of suffering an Oregon traumatic brain injury.

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A new high-tech device represents an early – though almost certainly not the last – attempt to solve the problem of distracted driving via technology. An application called “Textecution” can, when installed on a compatible smartphone, disable texting, email and web surfing functions while the owner is driving.

According to the tech site TMC News the application is currently available only for handsets running Google’s Andriod operating system, though versions for other platforms are anticipated. The site reports that the application is being marketed to parents as a way to promote safer driving habits among teens. A number of studies in Oregon and nationwide have shown distracted driving – specifically texting or talking on the phone while behind the wheel – to be a growing problem. The legislature has sought to crack down on Oregon distracted driving by banning texting by Oregon drivers, as well as the use of phones without a hands-free device.

As TMC points out, in its early form Textecution has some bugs that may need to be worked out. It reportedly uses a phone’s GPS capabilities to determine whether the phone is in a moving vehicle. That does not, however, make it capable of distinguishing between a phone whose owner is driving the car and one whose owner is merely sitting in the passenger seat (or riding on a bus).

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A Vancouver WA man is under arrest after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended with an Oregon Car crash on Sauvie Island. According to TV station KPTV, the driver, identified as 35 year old Ashley Siclovan, led police on a chase at speeds in excess of 100 mph for 18 miles. A police car was disabled while attempting to stop him. The chase eventually ended in an Oregon car accident when Siclovan allegedly crashed his vehicle into the gate of a state fish and wildlife office on Sauvie Island.

According to The Oregonian, Siclovan was arrested and taken to the Columbia County jail. He has been charged with felony attempt to elude, reckless driving, criminal mischief and second degree kidnapping. The last charge relates to a female passenger who he let out of the vehicle after crossing onto Sauvie Island. The woman later told police that Siclovan had refused to let her out of the car as he attempted to escape from the police. She was not arrested.

It is fortunate that no one appears to have been harmed in the incident. The chase is a reminder, however, of the damage a reckless driver can potentially cause. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a Portland reckless or high speed driver consulting with an Oregon auto accident injury lawyer at the earliest possible opportunity is a prudent course of action. An experienced Portland personal injury lawyer can offer valuable assistance, and help you determine whether your situation merits a claim for injuries or other damages suffered in an Oregon auto accident.

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A 38 year old Oregon cyclist died in an Oregon auto accident last week after being hit by a car on Oregon route 99 near Creswell. According to Oregon State Police, quoted by The Oregonian, the Portland-area bicycle and car collision took place when Creswell cyclist John Clayton was riding northbound on 99. Clayton died after being struck head-on by a car that had pulled out of the southbound lane to execute a pass.

The driver of that vehicle also sideswiped the car he was trying to pass. According to the Creswell Chronicle, Clayton was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The paper reported that he was wearing neither a helmet nor any reflective clothing, though it is worth emphasizing that he was riding as he was supposed to: with traffic, along the right-hand side of the road.

Clayton’s tragic and preventable death is a reminder of how important it is for Oregon drivers to take special care when they are around cyclists. Our state, and the city of Portland, are widely considered to be among the most bicycle-friendly places in America, but that does not mean every driver on the road uses the care and discretion one would hope for when they are around cyclists.

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