Category Archives: Distracted Driving
Honda Crashed into Volvo Truck, Causing Serious Injuries
Date: March 23, 2012
Location: Highway 211, milepost 20, near Colton
Names: Justin Hokanson, Brian E. Goff
Crash investigators told KOIN Local 6 they believe that Justin Hokanson, 35, from Molalla, was eastbound on Highway 211 just after 8 p.m. He was driving a 2008 Honda Fit. As Hokanson approached the intersection with Oswalt Road, he crashed into the left side of a 2000 Volvo truck which was turning left from South Oswalt Road onto Highway 211. The truck was being driven by Brian Goff, 50, from Salem.
Emergency responders found that Hokanson had been seriously injured in the crash. He was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Legacy Emanuel. Goff was not injured in the crash.
The OSP says no citations have been issued at this time, but investigations are continuing.
We would like to send our sincerest wishes for a full and complete recovery to Justin Hokanson and hope he is out of the hospital and back with family and friends soon.
Drunk Driver Crashes into Back of Police Car, Injures Officer
Date: March 8, 2012
Location: 3200 block of Commercial Street SE, Salem
Names: Andrea Bowlin, Amanda Palin, Don Vidrio
Two Salem women were hospitalized Thursday night after being knocked unconscious when the Volvo they were traveling in smashed into the rear of a stopped police car. An officer in the police car was also injured in the accident, and two other vehicles were also damaged.
Salem Police Lieutenant Keith Blair told Salem-News.com that officers Rachel Prager and Don Vidrio had pulled a vehicle over just before 11 p.m., on the 3200 block of Commercial Street SE. The patrol car’s emergency lights were still flashing when a Volvo sedan being driven by Andrea Bowlin, 24, crashed into the back of the patrol car, which was pushed into the rear of the vehicle that had been initially stopped. The Volvo careened off the side of the patrol car, and crashed into another vehicle’s front driver’s side.
When the Volvo was checked, both Bowlin and her passenger, 26-year-old Amanda Palin, were unconscious and trapped in the vehicle. They were extricated from the vehicle and rushed to Salem Hospital, where they are being treated for injuries described as non-life threatening. Officer Vidrio, who had been sitting in the patrol car when it was hit, was also taken to Salem Hospital and treated for minor injuries before being released. Police said alcohol appeared to be a major contributing factor in the crash, and they say there was extensive damage to the vehicles involved.
We wish everyone who was injured in this alarming incident a full and speedy recovery.
Drinking and driving is a crime. It’s reckless. It raises the stakes and probably the amount of money passenger could recover, if they decide to pursue justice from the driver’s insurance company. However, if the passenger knew the driver was drunk, then they are partly at fault as well, in the eyes of the law, and that would be taken into account in any settlement with the driver’s insurance company.
Driver with Suspended License Caused Head-On Collision
Date: March 7, 2012
Location: Highway 30, milepost 36, near Columbia City
Names: Briana L. Hogue, David W. Krom
Two people were lucky to escape with their lives after a head-on traffic crash Wednesday night. The accident happened on Highway 30, near Columbia City, and one of the two drivers involved now faces a number of charges.
According to the report on Fox 12 Oregon, David Krom, 69, from Portland, was westbound on Highway 30 in a 1986 Jeep CJ6. Just before 7:40 p.m., the Jeep crossed the center line near milepost 36, and moved directly into the eastbound lane. Briana Hogue, 20, from St. Helen’s, saw the Jeep approach, and she veered her 2000 Volkswagen Jetta all the way over to the right shoulder of the highway but was still struck head-on by the Jeep. The collision also caused the Jeep to roll at least once before coming to a stop.
Emergency responders rushed Hogue to St. John’s Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Police say the fact she was wearing a seat belt and that her airbags deployed almost certainly saved her life. Krom was not wearing safety restraints, and he was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
After investigating the crash, OSP cited Krom for driving while suspended, failure to drive on the right side of the highway and failure to wear a seat belt.
We would like to wish both drivers a full and speedy recovery from their injuries after this frightening crash.
As Portland car accident attorneys, we know that filing an insurance claim can be extremely complicated and stressful. After a crash like this, any injured person can seek compensation through the at-fault driver’s insurance policy, or through their own uninsured motorist coverage.
Steps to Take for Filing an Insurance Claim after an Oregon Accident:
- Get medical treatment. If you’ve been injured, waiting to seek medical treatment can greatly affect the value of your claim.
- Right after the accident, write down any details you remember.
- Contact your insurance company and get a copy of your insurance policy if you don’t have one. Talk to your adjuster about using your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage for medical treatment, lost wages, etc.
- Determine the amount of property damage done.
- Start keeping good records. Get the police report, copies of medical bills, pictures of your car before and after repairs, etc.
- If you are considering hiring a lawyer, talk to the lawyer before you talk to the other driver’s insurance company.
- If you know you are not going to hire an attorney, contact the insurance company for the other driver yourself. Be honest, but do not give a recorded statement and do not admit any liability.
- Get all correspondence with both insurance companies in writing.
- Do not sign anything until you are done treating and are medically stationary.
10. Check the statute of limitations on your claim. For most car accidents in Oregon, the time limit is two years, but this is not true for all cases. In some cases, you will only have 180 days – speaking to an attorney can clarify your time limits.
11. Discuss your case with a car accident attorney in Portland who offers free consultations to start understanding the laws that affect your case and your rights as an accident victim.
But before you speak to the insurance adjuster or an attorney, you can learn more about the Oregon insurance claim process in the very helpful book, 7 Common Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Oregon Accident Case.
Woman Arrested Twice in Three Nights for Drunk Driving
Date: March 5, 2012
Location: Northeast Moonlight Drive, Bend
Names: Tamira Julian, Sarah Clark
According to the report in The Bend Bulletin, the latest incident occurred around 10 p.m. Monday, when Tamira Julian, 44, of Bend, drove her Honda Acura through the living room wall of a house on Northeast Moonlight Drive. Sarah Clark, 38, who lives in the house with her two young children, was on the living room sofa when the car came through the wall and sustained a number of minor injuries. The two children were asleep at the time, and one of them was also injured in the incident. The crash also caused a natural gas leak inside the home.
Julian was taken to St. Charles-Bend Medical Center and treated for minor injuries, then arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance, as well as reckless driving, assault, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. Police discovered a short time later that Julian had also been arrested on Saturday night for DUII.
We would like to send our best wishes to Sarah Clark and her children for a speedy recovery from their injuries after their terrifying ordeal.
We encourage people to educate themselves on the laws of DUII driving in Oregon, and we provide free information to help you settle your lawsuit without an attorney. But when a DUII driver is involved, the law becomes very tricky, and you should contact an experienced Oregon injury attorney.
When children are injured, the law can get complicated fast. For example, while the standard Oregon injury case must be filed within 2 years of the accident, the statute of limitations for children, on the other hand, is not so straightforward. ORS 12.160 steps you through the process for figuring out the statute of limitations. First, the regular statute of limitations applies. Second, it doesn’t start running until the child turns 18 years old. But, third, the statute cannot be extended more than five years. And fourth, it cannot be extended beyond the child’s 19th birthday.
Impaired Drivers Lead Police in High-Speed Chase Before Crashing
Date: February 19, 2012
Location: Intersection of Marion and Church Streets, Salem
Names: Jason Milton Dalebout, Jason Paul Schrepfer, Richard A. Bello, Joann E. Drapeu, Terrill L. Williams
A 15-minute high-speed chase ended with five people being sent to the hospital Sunday morning, when the driver fleeing police officers ran a stoplight in downtown Salem and caused a crash involving three vehicles. Two men have been arrested and face multiple charges.
Just before 8:50 a.m. Sunday, an OSP trooper spotted a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV speeding northbound on Interstate 5, near milepost 242. When the trooper attempted to stop the SUV, it raced away at speeds up to 100 mph. The two occupants were also seen throwing drug paraphernalia from the vehicle. The Tahoe left I-5 and entered Salem, pursued by the OSP, Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the Salem Police Department. The SUV then went through a stop light at the intersection of Marion Street and Church Street and was hit on the passenger side by a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban being driven by Richard Bello, 42, from Salem. The impact caused the Tahoe to spin and crash into a 2008 Toyota Corolla being driven by Joann Drapeu, 69, also from Salem.
After the crash, the driver of the Tahoe SUV, who has been identified as Jason Dalebout, 37, and his passenger, Jason Schrepfer, both from Albany, were taken to Salem Hospital for treatment of injuries described in The Oregonian as minor. Both men were arrested a short time later, and Dalebout now faces nine different charges, including felony parole violation. Charges for Schrepfer are pending.
Bello and Drapeau, along with a passenger in the Corolla named as Terrill Williams, 65, from Salem, were all taken by ambulance to Salem Hospital with injuries that are serious but non-life threatening, according to an OSP statement.
We would like to send our best wishes to Richard Bello, Joann Drapeu and Terrill Williams, in the hopes that they are soon out of the hospital and feeling better.
Many questions arise out of a car crash. And unfortunately, our minds don’t often focus on recovering; they usually go directly to the financial – medical bills, insurance policies, lost wages. How will Bello, Drapeu, Williams and their families get through it? Who will pay for their medical bills and damaged vehicles? Fortunately, victims have resources. And the first thing they should do after getting the medical help they need is to go to our website – not to give us their business, but to read our free tips, download helpful documents, or request a free copy of our book. And if that’s not enough, they can always contact us to ask us any questions.
Tow Truck Possibly Ran Stop Sign, Causing Fatal Accident
Date: February 5, 2012
Location: Highway 211 intersection with Canby-Marquam Highway (170)
Names: Victoriano Garcia Morales, Laura Ascencio-Bautista, James K. Curt
A man and a woman were killed and the driver of a tow truck was injured in a two-vehicle crash Sunday evening. Police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
According to the report in The Oregonian, the accident happened at about 6:40 p.m., when a 2001 Nissan Frontier pickup being driven southbound on Canby-Marquam Highway (Highway 170) by Victoriano Garcia Morales, 54, was hit in the driver’s side by a tow truck as it crossed the intersection with Highway 211. Police say that intersection is controlled by a stop sign, and they now believe the pickup may not have stopped before crossing the junction.
The tow truck left the highway after the collision and came to rest in a field. The truck’s driver, James Curt, 23, from Canby, was taken by a private party to an area hospital for treatment of what were described as minor injuries. Tragically, Garcia Morales and his passenger, Laura Ascencio-Bautista, 42, were pronounced dead at the scene.
We offer our heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of Morales and Ascencio-Bautista at this tragic time.
Many questions arise out of a car crash. And unfortunately, our minds don’t often focus on recovering; they usually go directly to the financial – medical bills, insurance policies, lost wages. How will the Morales, Ascencio-Bautista and Curt families all get through this? Fortunately, victims have resources. And the first thing you should do after getting the medical help you need is to go to our Portland Injury Law website – not to give us your business, but to read our free tips, download helpful documents, or request a free copy of our book, 7 Common Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Oregon Accident Case. And if that’s not enough, you can always contact us to ask us any questions.
