Salem Reckless Driver Arrested

A reckless and dangerous driver caused problems on I-5 this afternoon but is now in jail, according to The Oregonian. The newspaper’s website reports that a 26-year-old Portland man is being held in the Marion County jail on charges of reckless driving and “18 counts of recklessly endangering another person.”
According to the newspaper, witnesses said the driver “was speeding, passing cars on the shoulder and weaving across all three lanes of traffic in a 1999 gold Ford Taurus… Oregon state police caught up with him right before 1 pm as he exited I-5 toward Salem Parkway Avenue.”
It goes without saying that incidents like these can cause serious, sometimes fatal, Oregon car accidents. In some instances these can lead to serous traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries or even deaths.

It is worth asking how the alleged driver was able to continue down a major freeway for nearly 30 miles before police were able to apprehend him. In instances like this, of course, the state police and other authorities are forced to make split-second decisions that may effect many people. Still, a careful observer must ask whether it might have been possible to bring this alleged driving spree to a stop sooner.

As an Oregon car accident lawyer dedicated to helping the victims of reckless driving I am glad to see that no one appears to have been injured in this incident. That does not, however, let the alleged driver off the hook. In the coming days and weeks his victims and their families need to consider the options that the civil court system offers them as they assess the material and the mental damage his alleged actions have caused. It is important to remember at times like these that our civil and criminal courts address different aspects of justice , complimenting each other, rather than competing.

The Oregonian: Man, 26, arrested in reckless driving on I-5 from Wilsonville to Salem

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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