Driving Safety

Date: December 8, 2009

“Can your secretary take dictation at 55 MPH?” That’s the headline of a 1984 cell phone advertisement.

The cellular phone pictured is larger than many desk phones, complete with a full-size, corded handset. Yet, the ad calls the device “perfect” for making calls from the road, and actually suggests using it while barreling down the highway at top speed.
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Date: October 29, 2009
Location: Sunset Esplanade, Hillsboro, Oregon
Names: Angela Walters, Jeffrey Kenney

Angela Walters, 29, of Hillsboro, Oregon, had just gotten off a bus and was hurrying through the Sunset Esplanade parking lot October 29, 2009, around 4:15 PM, when she was struck by a car, according to The Hillsboro Argus. Police said Walters didn’t see the car driven by Jeffrey Kenney, 40, also of Hillsboro, and that Kenney did not see Walters either. Walters’s back was broken in the sudden, shocking accident, but, fortunately, doctors said she was not paralyzed.
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Date: November 2, 2009

Oregon State Police were out in force for Halloween this year, and their efforts paid off. During the 12-hour time period from 6 PM, October 31, to 6 AM, November 1, troopers nabbed 31 drunk drivers in Oregon – more than double the total for Halloween 2008.
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Date: October 27, 2009

Halloween is a time for scary stories, and often it’s the grownups getting spooked. Parents hear warnings about stranger danger, razor blades, and LSD in candy bags. There’s even a scientific study on eye injuries from throwing raw eggs. Some folks worry about black cats. But the real danger on Halloween night is one so ordinary it could go unnoticed: motor vehicle traffic.

And in 2009, the danger from car-pedestrian accidents could be higher than ever, because the holiday falls on a Saturday. According to the University of Michigan News Service, children under 15 are 4.5 times more likely to die in a car crash on Halloween than on any other evening of the year, with most deaths occurring between 4 PM and 8 PM – prime trick-or-treating time.

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Date: October 27, 2009

What’s the biggest danger to children on Halloween? Not ghouls or goblins, but traffic accidents. Read our new article for the surprising statistics, plus tips on keeping your kids safe.

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Date: September 27, 2009
Location: Old Highway 199, south of Grants Pass, Oregon
Names: Avi Livingstone, Hana Goodkind, Ilan Goodheart, Tosh M. Mason

(Photo: Courtesy Oregon State Police)

Driving drowsy may have been a factor in a single-car crash that killed a California mother and injured her two children and another passenger, according to the Oregon State Police.

According to Salem-News, the accident occurred at 5:06 PM, September 27, 2009, on Old Highway 199, about 38 miles south of Grants Pass, Oregon. The driver, Avi N. Livingstone, 48, of Redway, California, died at the scene. Her 8-year-old daughter, Hana Goodkind, was seriously injured, and her 12-year-old son, Ilan Goodheart, sustained minor injuries. The third passenger in the car, Tosh M. Mason, 21, of Lopez Island, Washington, was also treated for minor injuries.

Livingstone was driving her 1983 Mercedes four-door sedan south on the freeway when she swerved off the right shoulder of the road and struck a tree. Although the crash investigation was still under way as of September 28, Oregon State Police said authorities are considering driver fatigue as a factor.

Goodkind, Goodheart, and Mason were transported to area hospitals for treatment. All were wearing safety restraints at the time of the crash.

Responding to the scene, along with the state police, were the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Illinois Valley Rural Fire Protection District, AMR Ambulance Service and the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office.

While accidents like this one can seem black or white, a closer investigation will sometimes turn up a surprise. Perhaps the driver did fall asleep at the wheel. But there are many other possibilities as well. Poor road conditions may have caused this wreck – for all we know, there may have been a large pothole that has already caused three prior accidents, or maybe there’s a blind curve with a missing warning sign. If that is the case, there may be a lawsuit available against the city/county/state. Such a lawsuit would allow the injured person to receive compensation and hopefully prevent future accidents on that stretch of road. Maybe the car was recently brought in for a tune-up, and the mechanic replaced the steering mechanism carelessly, and the car lost steering. These things do happen, and when someone is seriously injured, or killed, a competent Oregon personal injury attorney can investigate and find out what truly happened. Usually at no cost. For more information on what to do in the case of an Oregon accident, contact our office or read 7 Common Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Oregon Accident Case.

Shulman DuBois, LLC, is a Portland law firm located in Portland, Oregon, and serves clients in all Oregon cities and counties, including: Portland, Beaverton, Multnomah County, Hillsboro, Gresham, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Tualatin, Troutdale, Sellwood, Corvallis, Salem, Eugene, and Albany.