Regular readers of this blog know that I have been reminding Oregonians since last year of the importance of the Oregon distracted driving law that went into effect January 1. An ever-growing number of studies nationwide testify to the importance of concentration behind the wheel and the particular dangers posed…
Articles Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents
Oregon Personal Injury Lawsuits Target Yamaha Off-Road Vehicles
Yamaha’s Rhino off-road vehicle is emerging as a target of significant personal injury lawsuits here in Oregon and elsewhere around the country, according to a recent article in The Oregonian. The paper notes that the Rhino, first introduced in 2003, is the subject of “about 700 injury and wrongful death…
Portland Fatal Traffic Accident Raises Oregon Wrongful Death Issues
A Portland traffic accident last week that resulted in the death of a 54-year-old pedestrian is still under investigation by Oregon law enforcement authorities, according to The Oregonian and other local media. Though the police are reported to have issued no citations at the site of the accident, the incident…
Back-to-Back Oregon Bicycle Accidents Shock Police
A driver who allegedly hit two Portland cyclists in the space of a minute is being sought by police, according to an account of the incidents in The Oregonian. The Portland car and bicycle accidents took place “shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday”, the paper reports. In both instances police describe…
Fatal Beaverton-area Car Crash Raises Dram Shop Issues
An August 2009 head-on car crash that left two dead in Bethany, near Beaverton, is the subject of a suit brought under Oregon’s dram shop laws, according to an article published last week in The Oregonian. The Oregon dram shop suit has been brought by the family of Thai Hoang-Williams,…
Pew Report, Texas Conviction Highlight Distracted Driving Issues
In a sign of the ever-growing concern with distracted driving, a San Antonio bus driver has been convicted of reckless driving for texting while behind the wheel. His city bus, moving at 34 miles per hour according to police testimony, rear-ended an SUV in rush hour traffic, according to a…
Oregon Child Injury Car Crash Kills Two
The Oregonian reports that the 6-year-old survivor of a Labor Day weekend Oregon car crash is still hospitalized in serious condition, even as the operator of the car that caused the accident has been charged with a series of vehicular offenses by the district attorney in Klamath Falls. The boy…
Lower Speeds Can Lead to Lower Oregon Traffic Death Tolls
A fascinating analysis published last week in the online Portland newspaper Enzyme PDX looks at the question of road fatalities – an issue as ever-present here in Portland as it is anywhere else. Specifically, the article compares Portland’s approach to road safety the approach used in Sweden. As the article…
Two Injured in 5 Vehicle Oregon Truck Crash
The driver of a semi that set in motion a five-vehicle Oregon truck crash was cited at the scene of the accident, according to the Portland Tribune and other media reports. The pile-up took place Tuesday morning in the eastbound lane of Highway 224. It began when a semi encountered…
Study Finds Pets Can Be as Much of a Distraction for Drivers as Texting
A study released last week by AAA seems certain to add to the debate surrounding distracted driving in Oregon and elsewhere around the nation. According to the survey, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, two out of every three dog owners “said they routinely drive while petting or playing with…