Oregon Highway Fatalities Down, DUI’s Up, Over Labor Day Weekend

Marking Oregon car crash deaths is one of grim rituals that follow most holiday weekends. As the Seaside Signal notes, citing state statistics, Labor Day is traditionally one of the deadliest holiday weekends for drivers here in Oregon and nationwide.

The good news this year is that fatalities were down statewide. Two holiday weekend crashes led to three deaths, the newspaper reports: two people died on Friday evening as the holiday weekend began in a Clackamas County, Oregon motorcycle crash that also involved a car. The other fatality was discovered early Monday morning, on Labor Day itself, in Grass Valley. “An adult male was found deceased in the wreckage of the crash believed to have happened September 4 or during the early morning hours of September 5,” the paper reports, citing the Oregon State Police.

Tempering news of a drop in actual Oregon car crash deaths was word that DUI arrests were up. This is especially worrisome since, as the paper notes, “impaired driving is a major factor in holiday-related traffic crashes and alcohol is a known contributing factor in over half of holiday fatalities.” A total of 70 Oregon DUI arrests took place over Labor Day weekend, up from 67 last year – with an eye-opening ten OSP command centers statewide reporting three or more arrests during the period.

For a Portland drunk driving victim’s attorney the evidence offered by these numbers could not be clearer: victims of reckless, intoxicated drivers need all of the help our legal system can offer. Justice must often be fought for, especially in the wake of a serious Portland drunk driving crash. A criminal citation, even the loss of one’s driving privileges for a period of time, is often not enough for victims to feel they have been made whole again. The peace of mind that comes with having help putting one’s life back together is one of the most important services our courts and Portland drunk driving lawyers offer.

Seaside Signal: Labor Day Holiday Traffic Fatalities

50 SW Pine St 3rd Floor Portland, OR 97204 Telephone: (503) 226-3844 Fax: (503) 943-6670 Email: matthew@mdkaplanlaw.com
map image