Articles Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents

Police say a suspected drunk driver in Tigard, near Portland, caused a three-vehicle Oregon car accident late last week that injured four people, one of them seriously. According to The Oregonian, the accident occurred “on the Pacific Highway overpass, just north of Johnson Street” late at night, and closed the effected roadway throughout the following morning.

Local media, quoting police and Oregon DOT investigators, say a southbound vehicle crossed the highway’s center line and hit a north-bound pick-up truck. A north-bound SUV was also caught up in the unfolding Oregon auto accident. All three drivers, as well as a passenger in the SUV, were injured in the incident, according to The Oregonian, with the driver of the pick-up being listed in the most serious condition of the four.

Oregon auto accidents, especially those involving Portland or Beaverton drunk drivers, can be costly and emotionally traumatic for months or years after the fact. The government is well-positioned to punish Oregon drunk drivers with criminal sanctions, but these do little or nothing to address the pain and suffering of Oregon drunk driving car accident victims.

A Vancouver WA man is under arrest after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended with an Oregon Car crash on Sauvie Island. According to TV station KPTV, the driver, identified as 35 year old Ashley Siclovan, led police on a chase at speeds in excess of 100 mph for 18 miles. A police car was disabled while attempting to stop him. The chase eventually ended in an Oregon car accident when Siclovan allegedly crashed his vehicle into the gate of a state fish and wildlife office on Sauvie Island.

According to The Oregonian, Siclovan was arrested and taken to the Columbia County jail. He has been charged with felony attempt to elude, reckless driving, criminal mischief and second degree kidnapping. The last charge relates to a female passenger who he let out of the vehicle after crossing onto Sauvie Island. The woman later told police that Siclovan had refused to let her out of the car as he attempted to escape from the police. She was not arrested.

It is fortunate that no one appears to have been harmed in the incident. The chase is a reminder, however, of the damage a reckless driver can potentially cause. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a Portland reckless or high speed driver consulting with an Oregon auto accident injury lawyer at the earliest possible opportunity is a prudent course of action. An experienced Portland personal injury lawyer can offer valuable assistance, and help you determine whether your situation merits a claim for injuries or other damages suffered in an Oregon auto accident.

Two of the drivers involved in a four car Canby auto accident last week were hospitalized with one of them receiving a citation from police for his role in the Oregon car accident, according to a recent report in the Canby Herald.

The newspaper reports that the Portland area traffic accident took place on Arndt Road, near the intersection with Airport Road around 7 am on Wednesday shutting down traffic on Arndt road in both directions during morning rush hour. One of the drivers, 49 year old Michael Lee, was treated at a Portland hospital and was cited for both reckless driving and driving while suspended. A second driver, Hector Estrada-Vargas, was treated at a hospital in Tualatin.

The Herald, quoting police officers, reports that the accident began when Lee, who was traveling eastbound on Arndt Road, illegally passed another vehicle on the right. In executing the pass he lost control of his pick-up truck, careened into the westbound lane and collided with three oncoming vehicles, including the one driven by Estrada-Vargas.

Monday marked the beginning of a two-week crackdown on dangerous driving, according to a recent report in the Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon auto accidents are the target of the statewide effort, known officially as the “Three Flags Safety Campaign.”

The name of the program to prevent Eugene fatal traffic accidents takes its name from what law enforcement officials cite as the three biggest factors in Oregon auto accidents: “driving impaired, driving too fast and failure to use seatbelts.”

Citing Eugene police department statistics, the paper reports that even though official estimates are that 96% of Oregonians use seatbelts, lack of a seatbelt remained “a major factor in half of Oregon’s traffic deaths in 2008.”

A 50-year old man “with a history of driving under the influence” is being held by Medford police on suspicion of drunk driving. In a Southern Oregon drunk driving accident last Saturday the man allegedly injured three people, all of whom had to be hospitalized.

TV station KDRV reported that 50-year old Wayne Scott Rolfe was arraigned on felony DUI charges. He has also been charged with felony driving with a suspended license. He reportedly has three previous DUI’s, and is currently being held in the Jackson County jail pending $250,000 bond.

The good news is that the three Southern Oregon drunk driving victims have been released from the hospital.