Portland Personal Injury Attorneys

UPDATE: Community holds benefit for hit-and-run victim; driver still not found | Portland Injury Attorneys

The Gresham Outlook posted this story about the community of family, friends, and neighbors that is pulling for hit-and-run victim Jerome Calcagno. Calcagno was hit while crossing the road in October. To our knowledge, the driver never stopped.

Let’s grow this already large community to include those who are concerned about tragedy, and let’s find the person who did this. Hit-and-run accidents are inexcusable. Accidents happen, but this is all the more unfortunate because Calcagno was a pedestrian and had no source of protection from the impact. And no matter what the excuse may be, there is absolutely NEVER a reason to leave the scene after an accident.

Please, if you know anything, contact the police at 503-618-2719.

Gresham Police seek witnesses to hit-and-run | Oregon Hit and Run Attorneys

Date: October 29, 2009
Location: NE 201st Ave. & Sandy Blvd.
Names: Jerome Calcagno

Gresham police need help finding the driver who was involved in a hit-and-run accident involving a pedestrian on October 29, 2009. Jerome Calcagno, 79, of Gresham, was crossing the street at NE 201st Avenue & Sandy Boulevard when a vehicle struck him, police say.
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Gresham Police seek Witnesses to Hit-and-Run | Oregon Hit and Run Attorneys

Gresham police need help finding the driver who was involved in a hit-and-run accident involving a pedestrian on October 29, 2009. Jerome Calcagno, 79, of Gresham, was crossing the street at NE 201st Avenue & Sandy Boulevard when a vehicle struck him, police say.

Calcagno was in serious condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital as of October 30.
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Hit-and-Run Driver Turns Himself In After a Portland Car Accident

Date: October 18, 2009
Location: NE 33rd Avenue & Shaver Street, Portland, Oregon
Names: Jared Sletager, Quandrell Dumas

After a shocking hit-and-run crash early October 18, 2009, left a Seattle, Washington, man in critical condition, the driver who fled the scene gave himself up to police. Quandrell Dumas, 23, of Portland, Oregon, turned himself in the same morning.

The crash occurred around 1:20 AM at NE 33rd Avenue and Shaver Street in Portland. Dumas, who was driving a Lincoln Continental, ran a stop sign and crashed into a Volkswagen Vanagen heading south on 33rd, then crashed into the porch of a nearby home. Dumas fled the scene on foot, leaving his car on the porch and abandoning the other driver, Jared Sletager, 29, who suffered serious injuries.

A local resident described the crash as the worst he had ever seen. “You didn’t have to be trained in accident forensics or anything like that to understand that it was a high-speed hard impact,” said Scott Rider.

Dumas presented himself at the Northeast Police Precinct around 9:30 AM, and turned himself in. He faces charges of assault, felony hit-and-run, and reckless driving.

Sletager was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where, authorities said, he is expected to survive.

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.

While we are glad that Dumas turned himself in, we can’t help being horrified by this hit-and-run. Dumas was probably frightened and in shock, but that does not excuse leaving Sletager injured at the scene. For all Dumas knew, Sletager was dying, and leaving him was inexcusable. 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. We send our best wishes to Sletager for a quick and complete recovery, and hope he is out of the hospital soon.

Hit-and-run is a serious violation of Oregon Vehicle Code 811.705. The hit-and-run driver must be held civilly and criminally responsible for his actions. In a case like this, the Sletager family may be well advised to contact a reputed personal injury 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 to Sletager 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.

Man Arrested for Drunk Driving Had Record | Oregon Hit and Run Attorneys

Date: September 21, 2009
Location: 26745 SW Farmington Road, Hillsboro, Oregon
Names: Andrew Johnston

According to OregonLive.com, 25-year-old Andrew Johnston, of Forest Grove, was arrested September 21, 2009, for driving while drunk in an accident in which, fortunately, nobody was seriously injured. But it wasn’t the first time he had been charged. Johnston had at least two previous drunken driving arrests, including a crash five years ago that left a friend paralyzed.

Police say Johnston was driving while intoxicated at about 2:39 AM when he was involved in a single-car crash at 26745 SW Farmington Road in Hillsboro. Johnston had no passengers in his vehicle at the time of the accident. After the crash, Johnston left the scene and was located by police dogs, who found him in a field near the crash site. Police were responding to a 9-1-1 call reporting the accident.
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Memorial Held for Teacher Killed in Hit-and-Run Bicycle Collision

Date: September 15, 2009
Location: St. Johns Road and NE 41st St., Vancouver
Names: Gordon Patterson, Antonio Eugene Cellestine

A memorial was held Wednesday, September 23, at Hudson’s Bay High School in Vancouver, Washington, for a popular teacher who was killed in a hit-and-run. The tragic accident took place at 4 PM on September 15, 2009, in the 4100 block of St. Johns Road in Vancouver. Gordon Patterson, 50, was on his bicycle when he was struck. The 18-year-old driver, who fled the scene, was taken into police custody later that day. He was held at Clark County Jail on felony hit-and-run charges.

When police arrived at the scene, a witness told them he saw a car speeding away from the accident site. The vehicle raced down a one-way road in the wrong direction, with the driver shifting in his seat to see out of his damaged windshield. The witness, who identified the car as possibly a Dodge Intrepid and described the driver, watched the car swerve from lane to lane before disappearing onto 44th Street. A police search led to a Plymouth Breeze with front end and windshield damage, parked in the 2400 block of NE 45th Street.

Cellestine, who has a long criminal record, had told an acquaintance that he sold the car earlier that day. But after questioning, Cellestine was arrested for the hit-and-run. He made his first court appearance the following morning.

Patterson was a popular technology teacher at the high school, known for his smile and the white lab coat he seemed to perennially wear. A former principal at Hudson’s Bay recalled, “He always looked at bringing out the best in kids.” Patterson had been at Hudson’s Bay for 14 years.

Mourners have been filling the site of the crash with flowers, and a candlelight vigil had been planned for 8 PM on Thursday, September 17, at the school.

This hit-and-run is both a crime and a tragedy, and we offer our sincere condolences, both to Patterson’s family and to the entire community trying to heal. Vancouver police are continuing to investigate, reportedly considering distracted driving as a possible factor. In addition, neighbors say the accident site is considered a dangerous stretch of road.

Hit-and-runs are a serious violation of Oregon Vehicle Code 811.705. The hit-and-run driver must be held civilly and criminally responsible for his or her actions. In a case like this, the Patterson family may wish to contact a reputable personal injury 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 to Gordon Patterson 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.

Shulman DuBois LLC is 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.

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UPDATE: Driver in Bicyclist Dragging Incident Suspect

Date: August 16, 2009
Location: Northeast Portland
Names: Kevin Stevenson, Kate Darnall

The Oregonian reports that Portland police have new information regarding an incident that occurred in Northeast Portland between bicyclist Kevin Stevenson and an unknown driver this Thursday, August 13th.

It is now believed that the driver of the vehicle, who is still unknown, shares more responsibility than previously suspected. Police reports directly after the accident reflect opposing statements, both from Stevenson and his girlfriend Kate Darnall. One account reflects that Stevenson grabbed the driver of the vehicle, while Darnall reports that the driver backed up and grabbed the cyclist. After re-interviewing both parties, police detective Mary Wheat believes that the driver, or another passenger of the vehicle grabbed and continued to drag Stevenson. Wheat has yet to release details about the vehicle, stating nothing more than “The vehicle is not from Oregon.”

Stevenson is still listed in serious condition as of Friday, with injuries to his shoulders, back, heels, legs and knees. We continue to pray for his recovery and hope the driver involved in this accident comes forward.