Portland Personal Injury Attorneys

Hit-and-Run Driver Kills 65-Year-Old Woman | Oregon Hit-and-Run Lawyers

Date: July 27, 2010
Location: Tualatin Valley Highway, Hillsboro, Oregon
Names: Preciosa Galorio

Preciosa Galorio, 65, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver July 27, 2010, around 7:30 PM, as she crossed the Tualatin Valley Highway at SE 11th Avenue, in Hillsboro, Oregon. Officers said the driver never even stopped to see whether Galorio was dead or alive – and, according to one witness, the driver actually drove over her again before speeding away.

According to reports, as Galorio walked across the highway in the crosswalk, a westbound pickup truck hit her and kept on going. Galorio was airlifted to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, but she was pronounced dead at 10 PM.

Police are still looking for the driver. The vehicle is described as follows:

• 1990s full-size Chevy pickup that had been lifted
• Lower portion of the vehicle is painted black or dark blue
• Upper portion of the vehicle is described as being blue-gray or a smoky, gray color
• Bed of the pickup has a wood cargo panel that is attached to the pickup’s bed

If you have any information, please call Detective Smith at 503-992-3210.

We send our wishes and sympathies to the Galorio family, as they remember their beloved mother and grandmother, who had a passion for cooking and was known for her loving personality.

To help the Galorio family with expenses, please donate to the Galorio Memorial Fund at any US Bank.

After the crash, some residents said it was a dangerous intersection, with crossing lights that don’t allow enough time to get across, even at a brisk pace. And recently, on July 18, there was another hit-and-run crash in the same area, killing Jaziel Lopez-Medina, 18.

We can’t say it often enough: never flee the scene of a car accident in Oregon or anywhere else.

According to the Oregon DMV, hit and run is a serious crime, and conviction will result in your driving privileges being suspended or revoked. In any accident, you have the following obligations:

• Stop at once. If anyone is killed or unconscious, you must stay at the scene until a police officer arrives.
• Render aid. Do not move an injured person carelessly, but give reasonable aid.
• Exchange information with the other driver. Give them your name, address, driver’s license number, license plate number, and insurance information. DMV offers a printable checklist you can download and keep in your car.
• Report the accident to DMV.

We implore drivers in any accident situation to put the safety and welfare of others above their own interests, and always, always remain at the scene and make sure no one is hurt.

The hit-and-run driver must be held civilly and criminally responsible for his actions. And the Galorio family may be well advised to contact a reputed Oregon hit and run accident attorney with experience in hit-and-run crashes who will fight for the justice and compensation that they deserve. At Shulman DuBois, we believe that what happened in this crash is simply unacceptable; we are committed to making sure that hit-and-run drivers are held accountable for their actions and that both victims and families receive the compensation they deserve.

Pet Cat Loose in Car Leads to Rollover Crash | Oregon Car Accident Lawyers

Date: July 26, 2010
Location: Highway 26 near Banks, Oregon
Names: Brittany R. Spady

Could pets in your car be as dangerous as texting while driving?

On July 26, 2010, according to an OSP press release, a 21-year-old woman was distracted by her cat, which was loose in the car, and lost control of the vehicle. Brittany R. Spady, 21, of Manning, ended up with non-life threatening injuries from the resulting crash.

On August 19, a study by AAA confirmed just how dangerous it is to have a pet loose in your car, calling it just as distracting as texting, and warning that pets are now the third worst distraction for drivers.

Spady was driving west on Highway 26 near Banks, Oregon, around 7:55 PM, when her pet cat crawled onto the driver’s side floorboard and got between the brake and gas pedals. Spady lost control of the car and veered into the westbound side ditch, where the car rolled and hit a tree.

Spady was transported by LifeFlight to OHSU for treatment of her injuries, and has since been discharged.

Good Samaritans at the scene searched for about 45 minutes for the cat, but could not find the animal.

We hope Spady recovers quickly from her injuries, and wish her the best. We also hope the cat will be found.

In addition, we hope our readers will use this opportunity to make sure they never drive with an unrestrained animal.
It’s just as dangerous as sending a text message while driving, said AAA, noting that taking your eyes off the road for only two seconds doubles your risk of a crash. They also discovered that having a pet in the car is the third most dangerous distraction, behind talking on the phone and texting.

According to the study, 80 percent of drivers say they travel with pets in the car – but less than a quarter of those keep the animals restrained. Two-thirds of dog owners often drive while playing with their pups or petting them, and sometimes even give them food and water. One in five allowed their dogs to sit in their lap.

Very few states have any laws dealing with pets in cars, and most of them only deal with dogs. To compound the problem, fines may be little more than a slap on the wrist – in Oregon, for instance, a violation is a class D traffic violation, with a fine of $90.

In Oregon and seven other states, drivers must secure animals when they are in an open area of a vehicle – like the back of a pickup truck. No state, however, requires animals to be restrained inside a car, and most laws only address dogs, not cats or other animals.

If you’re planning to travel with your pet, visit a pet supply store for a selection of crates and barriers that can help prevent a tragic Oregon auto accident. Here are a few more tips for driving with animals:

• Always transport cats in a travel crate designed specifically for cats. Cats like to sit on your lap or cuddle up on the dashboard – or even worse, interfere with your gas and brake pedals – and should never travel unrestrained.
• Your dog should always be tethered in a pet-designed seat belt or harness. If not, a sudden stop could send your dog flying forward with up to 500 pounds of pressure, risking serious harm to both you and your dog.
• Even though dogs love to hang their heads out the window, don’t let them. It’s not safe for the dog, and it can distract other drivers.

Motorcycle Passenger Dies From Crash Injuries | Oregon Motorcycle Lawyers

Date: July 24, 2010
Location: Highway 99W near McMinnville, Oregon
Names: Timothy Gibson, Gilbert Hokenson

A motorcycle passenger died July 30, 2010, from injuries sustained in a July 24 crash on Highway 99W near McMinnville, Oregon, according to Salem-News.com. The motorcycle operator, who was driving on a suspended license, was seriously injured, but as soon as he recovered, he attempted to flee law enforcement, and police promptly arrested and jailed him.

The crash occurred around 1:25 PM, when Gilbert Hokenson, 45, of Amity, was heading southbound on the highway, and failed to negotiate a left curve. The motorcycle left the highway, ran into a ditch, and crashed.
The motorcycle’s passenger, Timothy Gibson, 60, also of Amity, was critically injured, and was airlifted to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland. Sadly, however, Gibson lost his fight for life, and he passed away the evening of July 30.

Hokenson had serious injuries. He was taken by ambulance to Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville. State police discovered Hokenson’s license was suspended. On August 3, with Hokenson apparently recovered from his injuries, police learned he was planning to flee the area and took him into custody.

According to The Oregonian, Hokenson was taken to Yamhill County Jail on the following charges:

• First-Degree Manslaughter
• Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants
• Reckless Driving
• Two counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person
• Criminal Driving While Suspended

Hokenson’s bail was set at $515,000.

Our hearts go out to Gibson’s family after this tragic and pointless crash. We send special wishes to his sons, Brian and Adam, as well as his granddaughter Savannah, and his brothers, Dave and Paul. According to an obituary, Tim Gibson was an avid golfer who worked as a golf pro. He also enjoyed playing pool, and being surrounded by friends.

We are especially saddened by this loss of life because it was preventable – not only was Hokenson operating a motorcycle with a suspended license, he was driving under the influence. He placed his passenger and himself at risk, and because of this, a man was taken from his family.

According to the Oregon State Bar, when a driver’s license is suspended, it means that driving privileges are removed until a certain amount of time has elapsed or other conditions are met, such as buying insurance or paying fines. This is different from a license being revoked, in which case it is taken away permanently. However, the effect is the same: you cannot drive, unless you have special permission from DMV.

The most common causes for suspended licenses are:

• Failure to report an accident
• Failure to appear for a court hearing
• Failure to obey a court order
• Failure to file proof of future financial responsibility, when required
• Failure to pass a breath test

Driving while suspended is a serious offense. It could be treated as a crime or as a violation, depending on the reason for the suspension and other factors. In the case of criminal driving while suspended, the offender could get up to a year in jail and $6,250 in fines. On top of that, all vehicles the convicted person owns can have their registrations suspended for up to three months, and the vehicle being driven at the time of the offense could have its registration suspended for up to 120 days. In some cases, this can happen even if the offender was not the registered owner of the vehicle.

If you knowingly allow someone to drive on a suspended license – whether it’s their own vehicle or yours – you could face a citation.

That’s not all. The court can order the vehicle impounded for up to three months. While the vehicle is locked away and stored, the convicted person is responsible for the costs of towing and storing the vehicle. If the person does not pay when the impoundment is over, the vehicle may be sold at public auction.

Of course, those consequences are very, very minor when you consider the human risk of driving while suspended. Please keep this in mind if a friend or relative with a suspended license ever wants to borrow your car, and just say no.

Cell Phone Responsibility

For those of you who haven’t been following this, talking on a cell phone while driving is worse than driving drunk.

The scientist who first discovered that talking on a cell phone while driving substantially increases your risk of crashing got an interesting write-up in the New York Times.

We’ve written extensively, and early, about the dangers of driving while distracted, whether by talking on the phone, texting, or otherwise. But how do we use this information to protect the innocent?

When someone has been seriously injured, an injury with lifelong effects, there is often not enough insurance money to cover the necessary care. For example, a person who is paralyzed, or who becomes paraplegic in an accident may require millions of dollars of medical care over his or her lifetime. Many drivers in Oregon only have $25,000 of insurance. This is not even enough to cover a broken arm, let alone a lifetime of care.

One of our jobs is to get to the bottom of who is responsible. And if a serious injury has resulted, we hope that person or corporation has high insurance coverage too.

For example, in 2004 a Virginia lawyer killed a teenager late at night while using his cell phone for her law firm’s business. She never even saw the girl she killed. The firm itself was held responsible and settled.

In another example, International Paper Company settled a lawsuit for $5.2 million when one of their employees, driving over 70 m.p.h. while using her company-issued cell phone, rear-ended her, resulting in injuries severe enough to cause an amputation.

If someone is injured by a driver who is talking on his or her cell phone (or texting), one of the early questions to ask is, “Who were they talking to?”

If they were talking for work – and particularly if the person’s workplace encourages or requires them to talk while driving – then the workplace may be partly responsible for the Oregon cell phone car accident. And if the workplace has a million dollar insurance policy, then the person who was severely injured in that crash may be able to get the medical care he or she needs from that insurance policy.

It’s important to get to the bottom of things. To chase down the facts. Who was the cell-using driver talking to? Where did the drunk driver get served? Who loaned the car to the person with a suspended license who later crashed.