Oregon Injury Lawyer Blog
In Albany, Oregon, five people were hurt in a Linn County multi-vehicle crash on Friday when a driver in a stolen Jeep Cherokee ran a red light while fleeing from police. The suspect, 22-year-old Portland resident Kyle Holder, ran a red light before colliding with an Eagle Summit, a Toyota pickup, and a Nissan Sentra. Holder then fled the scene on foot but was later apprehended by police.
Oregon car crash victims who were injured include John Dinnis, 63, and Candice Dinnis, 56, who are both from Monmouth, John Carreira, 46, Robert Foss 49, and Scott Foss, 19, who are all from Albany.
Holder faces five counts of third-degree assault charges in Linn County and he is wanted in Multnomah County for assault, robbery, attempted strangulation, harassment, theft, burglary, and interfering with the making of a police report.
Running a Red Light
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, about 260,000 motor vehicles accidents occur every year because a driver ran a red light. For example, 206,000 US traffic accidents occurred because of red light running in 2003—934 people died and 176,000 got hurt as a result.
A few common reasons why people run red lights:
• To avoid having to wait for the light to turn green again.
• To avoid law enforcement officers who might be pursuing them.
• Driver distraction causes them to not realize they are about to run a red light.
Running a red light can lead to serious auto injury accidents. The driver responsible for causing a traffic accident because he or she ran a red light can also be held liable for Oregon personal injury or wrongful death.
For motorists wishing to protect themselves against red light runners, the Allstate Web site recommends:
• Make sure that when the light at the intersection in front of you turns green that you check to make sure there are no vehicles on all sides of you that are about to run a red light.
• Drive carefully into an intersection in case a motorist decides to run a red light.
• Pay extra attention when turning at intersections.
Man caught in Albany chases faces more charges in Portland, OregonLive.com, March 24, 2009
5 injured in 4-car crash as driver flees police, KVAL.com, March 23, 2009
Running red lights, Allstate
Related Web Resources:
Oregon DMV
State Traffic and Speed Laws, MIT.edu
Throughout Oregon, Portland Car Accident Matt Kaplan represents clients who have been injured in motor vehicle collisions because other parties were reckless or negligent. Contact our Oregon accident law firm today.
