Drunk Driver Crashes After Driving the Wrong Way on the Freeway

Date:  February 19, 2012
Location:  Highway 217, near Walker Road off-ramp, Beaverton
Names:  Erin Douge, Hermelo Juarez-Garcia

Two people were seriously injured in a head-on collision near Beaverton in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police say one of the drivers had been drinking and was going the wrong way on Oregon Highway 217.

Just before 3 a.m., Erin Douge, 27, of Lake Oswego, was driving her Toyota Yaris south in the northbound lanes of Highway 217, when she collided head-on with a northbound Chevrolet Caviler being driven by Hermelo Juarez-Garcia, 38. Police later told KATU.com they believe Douge drove the wrong way down an exit ramp to get onto the northbound lanes. They also said she was driving while impaired. After the initial collision, a third car collided with the first two, but the driver of that vehicle, who was not identified, was not injured in the crash.

Emergency responders took Douge to Legacy-Emanuel Medical Center with serious injuries, and Juarez-Garcia was taken to OHSU, also with serious injuries. Both drivers are expected to recover.

We would like to wish all those affected by this frightening accident a full and speedy recovery from their injuries.

When a drunk driver causes an injury accident in Oregon, there is a possibility of suing the person or bar who served the alcohol. This must be done correctly, and quickly. There are strict time limits for filing a lawsuit in Oregon, and where alcohol is involved, the limits get even stricter. A Dram Shop Notice must be received by the server within 180 days of the incident, pursuant to ORS 471.565.

Why sue a bar for serving a person alcohol? Well, the bar must have done something. Bars are regulated strictly by the OLCC, and if they serve to minors, or serve to a person who was visibly intoxicated, they have violated regulations and they should be held responsible for that. But the rules only work if the bartenders are well-trained and supported. If anyone is at fault, it’s not going to be the clerks and bartenders – it’s going to be the owner. If an investigation finds that the owner of the bar did not train the bartenders properly, hired the cheapest people and then underpaid them, routinely told the bartenders to serve as much as possible to increase profits, faked bartender’s OLCC licensing tests, and routinely served minors, then a lawsuit could prevent another similar accident in the future. If there were honest, well-trained, hardworking bartenders and clerks who made a single honest mistake, then a lawsuit would do no good. But, the family at least gets to rest easy knowing that they investigated, and found out the truth of the matter.

We encourage people to educate themselves on the law of drunk driving in Oregon, and we provide free information to help you settle your lawsuit without an attorney. But when a drunk driver is involved, the law becomes very tricky, and you should contact an experienced Oregon injury attorney.