Three Vehicle Salem Car Wreck Kills One

Police are investigating the circumstances of an Oregon car crash involving two pick-up trucks and a semi-trailer that left one of the pick-up drivers dead, according to The Oregonian.

The accident took place last week in Dallas, west of Salem. According to the newspaper, a pick-up driven by a 58-year-old Grand Ronde man drifted across the centerline mid-evening on Oregon Route 22. The pick-up and semi-trailer collided, killing the pick-up’s driver. According to the Salem Statesman-Journal, another pick-up following behind the big rig was unable to take evasive action and rear-ended the larger truck.

The driver of the semi was injured in the Central Oregon truck accident and was taken to a local hospital. His injuries were not reported to be serious. The driver of the second pick-up was uninjured, the paper reported. Oregon 22 was closed for several hours while the Oregon State Patrol and local police launched their investigations of the accident.

There are many reasons why the driver may have drifted across the center line – all of which bear thorough investigation in the wake of this Salem car and truck crash. Whatever the investigation may eventually uncover it is important for survivors and their families in this and similar accidents to pay close attention to investigators’ work both to see what blame, if any, the police assign to one or more parties. In the wake of that decision – whatever it may be – the victims’ next important task is to ask themselves whether law enforcement’s resolution of the case satisfies their own sense of, and need for, justice.

Many people do not realize that the decision to cite or not cite someone in the wake of an Oregon motor vehicle accident is based on criteria that can differ significantly from those a court would use to assess a claim or reckless driving or negligence. The fact that no one was written up at an accident scene does not end the question of responsibility. Victims and their families are well-advised to seek the advice of a Salem or Portland car and truck accident lawyer in the wake of an accident like this one. Experienced legal advice is often the first step on the road to justice.

The Oregonian: Man dies in three-vehicle collision on Oregon 22 west of Dallas

Salem Statesman-Journal: Highway 22 crash kills man

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