16 Year Old Facing DUII and Assault Charges After Causing Crash

Date:  May 5, 2012
Location:  Highway 20, near milepost 2, east of Newport
Names:  Samantha Ferris, Robert “Therron” Kraft, Shannon Monroe, Michael Barker

A 16-year-old Newport girl is facing multiple charges, including DUII, after a Saturday morning multi-vehicle accident in which four people were injured, two of them seriously. OSP also wants to talk to a man who said his vehicle was sideswiped but who then left the scene after talking briefly with Newport Police officers.

Just before 8:30 Saturday morning, Samantha Ferris, 16, from Newport, was driving a 1999 Land Rover SUV west on Highway 20. About two miles east of Newport, for reasons not yet clear, the Rover sideswiped a white compact car before smashing head-on into an eastbound 2009 Honda Pilot SUV.

When emergency responders arrived on the scene, they found two of the Honda’s occupants had received serious injuries in the crash. Robert Kraft, 46, from Toledo, and Shannon Moore, 42, also from Toledo, were taken by air ambulance to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis with potentially life-threatening injuries. The rear-seat passenger in the Honda, Michael Barker, 29, from Toledo, was transported with minor injuries to Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport, where he was treated and later released.

Ferris was also taken by ambulance to Pacific Communities Hospital with minor injuries. After receiving treatment, she was charged by OSP with DUII, reckless driving and three counts of assault in the second degree.

We wish Robert Kraft, Shannon Monroe and all the people involved in this crash a full and speedy recovery.

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:

1. Get medical treatment. If you’ve been injured, waiting to seek medical treatment can greatly affect the value of your claim.
2. Right after the accident, write down any details you remember.
3. 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.
4. Determine the amount of property damage done.
5. Start keeping good records. Get the police report, copies of medical bills, pictures of your car before and after repairs, etc.
6. If you are considering hiring a lawyer, talk to the lawyer before you talk to the other driver’s insurance company.
7. 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.
8. Get all correspondence with both insurance companies in writing.
9. 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.