Posts Tagged ‘Drunk Driving’
« Previous Page19-Year-Old Pulls Woman from Burning Car After Drunk Driving Incident
on Monday, November 2, 2009Date: October 17, 2009
Location: Highway 22 & Joseph Street SE, Salem, Oregon
Names: Destiny Edwards, Nickolas Edwards
A 19-year-old Oregon man saved a woman’s life on October 17, 2009, when he saw her trapped inside a burning car on Highway 22 and Joseph Street SE in Salem, Oregon, and pried the car’s windshield off with his bare hands, just before the car exploded.
Nickolas Edwards, 19, of Salem, spotted Destiny Edwards, 21, of Mill City, inside her burning 2005 Honda Civic as he drove along the highway. The two are not related.
When Edwards saw the car in the ditch at Joseph Street SE, his first thought was that it was abandoned, and he took out his cell phone to call the police. But, as he told KGW.com, he just had to check: “I had to make sure nobody was in the car, that’s horrible, I wouldn’t want to be left there burning.”
When the trapped woman saw Edwards, she started screaming. Edwards managed to kick a hole in the glass, then started tearing at it with his bare hands, receiving severe lacerations in the process. As he struggled to free the woman, the fire was intensifying. Edwards pulled the woman from the car just before it exploded. “It went up in flames, boom, boom, boom,” he said.
Police are calling Edwards a hero. “This kid saved her life,” Marion County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Sheila Lorance said. But Edwards said he just did the right thing, and, although it was a terrifying experience that he never wants to go through again, he knew he could never live with himself if he hadn’t stopped.
Destiny Edwards was treated for lacerations and released from Salem Hospital, where she was cited for drunk driving.
We are inspired by Nick Edwards’ bravery and his willingness to act in a dangerous situation. Edwards could have passed by the burning car, but instead he felt compelled to check if anyone was inside. In a society where people are sometimes too busy or distracted to get involved, Edwards is a true hero. We applaud this young man’s conscience and courage.
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Protecting Your Kids from the #1 Risk This Halloween | Oregon Personal Injury Attorneys
on Tuesday, October 27, 2009Date: 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.
Driver Killed in Truck Crash Involving Speed and Alcohol
on Monday, October 26, 2009Date: October 15, 2009
Location: SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, Oregon
Names: Ronald Earley
(Photo courtesy Portland Police Bureau)
According to The Portland Tribune, alcohol and speeding were factors in an early-morning truck crash October 15, 2009, that killed a 24-year-old man. The fatal accident occurred around 2:50 AM, as Ronald Earley, of Portland, Oregon, was driving a Ford Ranger pickup truck east in the 4500 block of the Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway. Earley’s truck left the road and slammed into a steel column, seriously injuring him; he died at a local hospital.
A major crash team from the Portland Police Bureau was investigating the crash as of October 15. Detectives told The Oregonian that excessive speed and drunk driving contributed to the fatal collision.
Some drivers may not know that “speeding” can mean either driving in excess of the posted limit, or driving too fast for conditions. In fact, a driver can be within the speed limit and still be speeding, depending on the roadway, weather, or other conditions.
A fact sheet from the Oregon Department of Transportation points out that speeding is the top contributor to deaths and injuries in Oregon, accounting, on average, for half of all traffic fatalities. In fact, speeders kill more innocent Oregonians than drunk drivers. In 2008, among crashes caused by excessive speed, 40% of deaths were passengers or other innocent victims, not the speeding drivers themselves.
Late for work or an appointment? Don’t take a deadly chance by speeding. The time you save, if any, will be negligible, especially compared with the risk. It is far, far better to be a few minutes late than never to arrive at all – or to risk the same on someone else.
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.
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Drunk Driving. Over the limit. Under Arrest.
on Thursday, August 20, 2009Kuik.com reports that this weekend starts “Drunk Driving. Over the limit. Under Arrest.”, an event organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In conjunction with the nation-wide effort, the Oregon Governors Advisory Committee on DUII, the Oregon State Police, the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police, the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association, and the Oregon Department of Transportation will perform impairment-awareness demonstrations at the Portland Police Bureau’s Southeast Precinct. In addition to the precinct’s event, multiple, state-wide agencies are preparing high-levels of enforcement for one of the summer’s deadliest holidays.
Next to speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol kills more people in Oregon than any other type of accident (such as texting while driving), and as of 2008, 136 people died as a result of intoxicated driving. According to Oregon’s Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Labor Day weekend in Oregon is historically high in fatalities, with nine reported last year.
The crackdown starts tonight, and will include the comprehensive efforts of state troopers, county deputies, and city officers from the Clackamas County area as they team up to stop drunk driving between August 21-September 7.
At Shulman DuBois we know the first step to decreasing impaired driving fatalities starts with awareness, not only of the legal consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but the life-threatening risks that one takes when they decide to hit the road instead of a motel or friends house. For those reading this, take heed this Labor Day weekend: drive smart, defensively, and if you’ve had a few drinks, wait it out until you sober up.
Visit our car accident resource library.
Get a free 70+ page book Seven Common Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Oregon Accident Case.
Contact Shulman DuBois LLC about a free consultation.
Visit us on YouTube.
One Man Dead In Milo McIver State Park Crash | Portland Injury Attorneys
on Monday, August 3, 2009Date: August 1, 2009
Location: Milo McIver State Park
Names: Katie Erin Warren, Chester Raimer Jr.
Oregonlive.com reports the death of one man after an accident that occurred Saturday evening.
The accident occurred around 8:30 pm, within Milo McIver State Park when driver Katie Erin Warren, 21, was driving through the park and drove her car off the road, eventually colliding with several trees. Warren’s rear seat passenger, Chester Raimer Jr., 48, of Milwaukie was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Warren is being charged with second-degree manslaughter, reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. The driver’s four other passengers only sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Warren was taken to OHSU prior to being arrested.
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