Oregon Injury Lawyer Blog

A car crash near the center of the Glenn Jackson Bridge earlier this week wrecked a semi-trailer and a Honda, sent two people to the hospital and ended with the driver of the Honda facing legal trouble in both Oregon and Washington.

The Oregon car and truck accident left 21-year old Ilya Anikin facing drunk driving charges in two states after crashing his vehicle on the bridge just inside the Oregon state line in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to The Oregonian. Police are still on the lookout for the driver of a red Pontiac alongside whom, they say, Anikin was driving recklessly as the two cars crossed the bridge headed from Washington into Oregon.

NWCN reports that the Oregon truck accident unfolded in an Oregon DOT workzone near the middle of the bridge when Anikin’s Honda swerved, hitting the semi “in the left rear axle, causing its two trailers to drive over, and somewhat flatten, the car.” The Oregonian reports that the trailers tipped over, smashing into the bridge’s center divider, blocking the road and spilling a huge amount of glue, which the truck was hauling (and which work crews struggled – successfully – to get cleaned up prior to the morning rush hour). The driver of the truck was uninjured, but Anikin and a passenger were treated at a local hospital, where Oregon police cited Anikin for DUII and reckless driving. Washington state police then arrested him and issued another, Washington State, DUI citation.

Portland car accidents, especially those involving Oregon drunk drivers, are serious legal matters requiring skilled legal representation from the outset. If you have been the victim of an Oregon drunk or reckless driver, an Oregon personal injury attorney should be one of the first calls you or your loved ones make after attending to immediate medical needs.

A police citation (or even two citations, in two different states) does not, by itself, guarantee you either justice or appropriate compensation for the pain and suffering, lost wages and medical bills and damage to your vehicle or other property stemming from an accident that resulted from someone else’s negligence or misbehavior. Prompt consultation with an Oregon car crash lawyer is the best assurance you have that justice will be served.

NWCN: Alcohol, reckless driving led to I-205 crash

The Oregonian: After night is full moon traffic accidents, Portland police looking for driver in dramatic Glenn Jackson Bridge crash

Posted by Matthew D. Kaplan | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Drunk Driving

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A Multnomah County man convicted in a drunk driving incident that seriously injured two pedestrians has already been sentenced to nearly six years in prison, but faces additional time behind bars if he refuses to cooperate with a related Oregon dram shop law case pending in civil court, according to The Oregonian.

The newspaper reports that Dallas Lawrence, now 25, struck two women after he left a bar while clearly drunk last February. His Oregon drunk driving conviction in the criminal case growing out of the incident is separate from the potential Portland dram shop law case focused on the bar that allegedly continued to serve Lawrence. That case turns on the allegation that the bar allowed Lawrence to get into his car and drive off into the night despite being so drunk that, according to The Oregonian, he “fell off his bar stool” before heading out to the parking lot.

The paper reports that Lawrence’s two victims have not yet filed suit against the bar where he spent the evening drinking. Lawrence faces an additional 2-1/2 years in prison if he does not cooperate, should a suit go forward.

Dram shop cases focus on the responsibility of bars or other alcohol vendors for the damage done by visibly intoxicated people whom they continue to serve. As The Oregonian notes, such cases “are relatively rare in Oregon, often because it’s difficult to prove in court that bar employees served a visibly intoxicated person.”

Lawrence’s case, however, would appear to offer proof that an experienced Oregon personal injury attorney well-versed in the specialized area of dram shop cases, can help accident victims get the justice they deserve. One of the women Lawrence hit was hurled 60 feet before hitting a parked car, according to The Oregonian. Conventional Portland drunk driving laws, especially those focused on criminal conduct alone, cannot make situations like these right. That is why Oregon’s dram shop laws, and the specialized Portland, Salem and Eugene lawyers who help enforce them, are so important.

The Oregonian: Portland man sentenced to six years for running down two pedestrians after night of heavy drinking

Posted by Matthew D. Kaplan | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Dram Shop Cases , Drunk Driving

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An Oregon car crash Wednesday left two people dead in Beaverton, highlighting in the most tragic way possible the need for caution behind the wheel as we head into this holiday weekend.

According to The Oregonian, the Washington County car accident took place at mid-afternoon on South Murray Boulevard. The driver “barely stopped for the red light” before making a right turn and then speeding up. The abrupt acceleration caused “the car to fishtail across both lanes, jump the curb and crash into” a concrete wall, the paper reports. A 54-year old man riding in the passenger seat was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver, a 61 year old woman, was airlifted to a Portland hospital following the Oregon car accident, but died a few hours later.

Television station KGW quotes police investigating the accident saying both that speed “appears to have been” one cause of the Oregon single car accident, and that alcohol use may also have played a role.

As we move into a busy holiday weekend, this Oregon car crash is a reminder of the importance of safe and sober driving. Holiday weekends are notorious for their increased death toll along the nation’s highways, and particularly noteworthy for injury car crashes involving alcohol use. Other factors taking on increased importance during heavy holiday travel periods include reckless driving in the form of speeding, alcohol use and distracted driving.

Drivers who are reckless represent a threat to the community as well as themselves. When accidents occur as a result of their actions it is important that they be held to account, by their victims as well as the criminal justice system. An experienced Beaverton car crash lawyer can help you and your loved ones sort through the intricacies of Oregon personal injury law and advise on the best ways to achieve the justice you deserve if you have been the victim of someone else’s poor choices, leading to a serious Portland, Eugene, Beaverton or Medford car accident.

KGW.com: Two dead in Beaverton Murray Blvd. crash

The Oregonian: Second person dies from single-car Beaverton crash

Posted by Matthew D. Kaplan | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Car Accidents , Drunk Driving , Motor Vehicle Accidents

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Alcohol-related Oregon fatal car accidents and holiday weekends seem to have a grim connection. As the Daily Astorian notes, Memorial Day has long been the holiday weekend in Oregon most closely associated with alcohol-related fatalities. This year is no exception. According to the newspaper an Oregon drunk driver strayed over the center line of Highway 30 just east of Astoria Sunday night, striking a motorcyclist nearly head-on.

The motorcycle rider, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from his bike and killed. Both the alleged drunk driver and his 13-year old daughter who was riding in the truck with him were uninjured. The Oregonian, quoting Oregon State Police, reported that the truck driver was arrested and charged with drunk driving, reckless driving, manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person (this is presumably a reference to the child in the truck).

Unmentioned by the media, but also worth considering as we think through the legal implications of this tragic Oregon fatal motorcycle accident, is where the alleged driver obtained his alcohol. If a bartender continued to serve the suspect or a store clerk sold him alcohol after he was obviously drunk that person too could be subject to legal action.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of a Portland, Eugene, Astoria or Medford drunk driving accident, consulting with an Oregon personal injury lawyer with extensive experience in cases involving Oregon drunk drivers is essential. Responsibility for your, or your loved one’s, injuries may extend beyond the person behind the wheel to include those who enabled an Oregon fatal traffic accident driver’s reckless and negligent behavior. The road to justice in the wake of tragedy is rarely smooth, but a Portland traffic injury attorney can be a key ally and guide on that journey.

The Oregonian: Portland man held in fatal wreck near Astoria

The Daily Astorian: Man killed in holiday accident

Posted by Matthew D. Kaplan | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Drunk Driving , Motor Vehicle Accidents , Motorcycle Accidents , Wrongful Death

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