Oregon Personal Injury Attorneys

Date: January 8, 2010
Location: Los Angeles, California
Names: Christopher Thompson

On July 4, 2008, according to the Los Angeles Times, Brentwood physician Christopher Thompson was on his way to work when he found himself behind a pair of bicycles. First he honked his horn. Then he passed the bicycles, edging dangerously close to them. As soon as his car was in front of the bike riders, he slammed on the brakes.

After injuring both cyclists, the doctor showed little remorse, railing against disrespectful bike riders and saying his acts were to “teach them a lesson.”

Read the rest »

Date: December 24, 2009
Location: Highway 22 west of Santiam Pass, Oregon
Names: Robert W. Fickel, Michael C. Provost, Ann Guyson

A Salem man was killed and a Sunriver woman was injured in a head-on car-truck crash December 24, 2009, around 10:30 AM, on Highway 22 west of Santiam Pass, in Oregon.

Robert W. Fickel, 52, of Salem, was driving east on the highway when he lost control of his car and crossed the center line. Oregon State Police Sgt. Mark Davis said the road had icy spots at the time of the crash, although it had been sanded earlier. The temperature was hovering just below freezing. Fickel’s car collided with a 2006 Ford pickup truck driven by Michael C. Provost, 64, of Sunriver.

Fickel was pronounced dead at the scene. Provost was not injured, but his passenger, Ann Guyson, 55, also of Sunriver, suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend.

We send our condolences to Fickel’s family. We know how difficult it is to lose a loved one, and we add our prayers to yours. We also send wishes to Guyson, and hope her injuries will heal quickly and thoroughly.

Oregon State Police released preliminary crash statistics for the 2009 Christmas holiday period, which runs from 6 PM, December 23, to 11:59 PM, December 27, a total of 102 hours.

According to OSP, five people were killed in five separate crashes in Oregon. Troopers also reported an increase in DUII arrests as part of the nationwide crackdown, “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” The special enforcement period started December 16 and runs through New Year’s weekend.

During last year’s Christmas holiday period, six people were killed in six separate traffic crashes, up from the 10-year average of four.

OSP troopers arrested 60 DUII drivers, up from 50 reported DUII arrests during the 2008 Christmas holidays. OSP Command Centers reporting more than three arrests were:

·    Salem Area Command – 8 DUII arrests
·    Portland Area Command – 7 DUII arrests
·    Grants Pass Work Site – 6 DUII arrests
·    Coos Bay Area Command – 6 DUII arrests
·    Klamath Falls Area Command – 4 DUII arrests
·    Central Point Area Command – 3 DUII arrests

In addition, troopers responded to more than 150 traffic crashes and assisted nearly 300 disabled motorists.

OSP, Oregon State Sheriff’s Association, Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police, and Oregon Department of Transportation provided the following trips for travelers:

·    Remember cooler temperatures are leading to icy roadway conditions. Expect the unexpected and be alert for quick changes in road conditions, especially watching for ice on bridges and in shaded areas.

·    Don’t drink and drive and don’t ride with anyone who has been drinking.

·    Never use illegal drugs.

·    Be a designated driver.

·    If someone who’s been drinking insists on driving, take his or her keys.

·    If hosting a gathering, provide non-alcoholic beverages.

·    Use public transit or local drive-home services provided by taxis and other companies.

·    Always use safety restraints.

·    Avoid travel after midnight, especially on weekends or holidays.

·    Drive alert and defensively at all times.

·    Report any suspected impaired driving by calling 1-800-24DRUNK (800-243-7865) or 911.

Shulman DuBois LLC represents victims with injuries resulting from accidents.  Our clients deserve representation with our experience, sensitivity and tenacity.  Should an unfortunate episode find you or someone you know in need of representation as a result of an accident related injury, the best thing you can do for yourself is to get educated by reading our Frequently Asked Questions, exploring our Library, or ordering your free copy of 7 Common Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Oregon Accident Case.

Date: December 8, 2009

This item comes from our “Better Late Than Never” file: The National Transportation Safety Board has called for procedures to remove unsafe buses from U.S. roads.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the NTSB wants agencies to identify companies that operate substandard buses, take the buses out of service, and force the companies to cease operations.

The NTSB issued their recommendations after investigating a January 2008 bus crash in Texas. The bus overturned, then was hit by a truck. One passenger was killed, 17 were seriously injured, and 29 people received minor injuries.

In the Texas crash, a driver with only three months of experience fell asleep on a trip from Monterey, Mexico, to Houston. The NTSB investigation into the accident uncovered numerous safety concerns.

In a report synopsis, the NTSB released their findings, including the following:

• Weather, road defects, and mechanical problems were not factors. However, the bus did not meet federal safety standards.

• The driver’s blood tests were negative for alcohol, but the bus company delayed testing and alcohol could not be ruled out.

• International Charter Services, which leased the bus to Capricorn Bus Lines, failed to maintain operational control and safety oversight of Capricorn’s operations.

• Although the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was authorized to conduct a compliance review, they never did, and Capricorn did not receive an “at-risk” rating, despite serious safety violations.

• FMCSA’s “tacit approval” of lease agreements gives a lower level of safety oversight to buses carrying live passengers than to buses hauling cargo.

• During the accident investigation, FMCSA knew that International Charter Services was providing services outside the scope of its authority, but never took action.

• A legal loophole allows unsafe bus companies to circumvent the law by transferring operating rights to newly formed companies, and current review processes do not identify unsafe buses and keep them from operating.

Capricorn lost its insurance in 2003 after a fatal accident in Mexico a year earlier, but avoided federal scrutiny because of its lease arrangement, receiving “tacit” approval from the FMCSA. Capricorn got a Texas license plate by having another company register the bus in California.

“I think that this accident is the mother of all shell games,” the NTSB’s Robert Sumwalt told the Chicago Tribune.

Incredibly, according to the NTSB, Capricorn went out of business but is still operating, this time as Flores U.S. Bus Lines.

“The traveling public should expect that any motor coach they ride complies with all of the safety criteria imposed on every other commercial passenger vehicle within our borders,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman in a press release.

We not only agree, we’re surprised it took this long. Bus riders have every right to expect that they’re riding in safe vehicles, and it’s too bad it took a death, and multiple injuries, to get the NTSB to act. But now that they’re on the case, we think their recommendations should be implemented sooner rather than later. Let’s not have another crash before we have top-notch safety standards that are carefully enforced, with no loopholes.

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.

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.
Read the rest »

Date: December 11, 2009
Location: SW Agee St., McMinnville, Oregon
Names: Jesus Anibal Arriaga, Dylan Arthur Granger, Scott Lee Albert

Two teenage boys were hit by a car as they walked across SW Agee Street in McMinnville, Oregon, around 7:50 AM on December 11, 2009, according to a McMinnville Police Department press release.

Jesus Anibal Arriaga, 14, of McMinnville, was seriously injured in the crash. He was initially taken to Willamette Valley Medical Center, but was transferred to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center’s trauma center in Portland for further treatment.
Read the rest »

Date: November 24, 2009
Location: Highway 97, near Chiloquin, Oregon
Names: John Lyman Howell, James M. Scott, Gary Couch, Susan Couch, Alan C. Galloway

After a crash on October 2, 2009, that killed two motorcyclists and injured a couple in an SUV, officials have asked for the public’s help in locating the next of kin of one of the motorcycle riders, John Lyman Howell, 65, of Reno, Nevada.

Oregon State Police Sergeant Mark Crisp told Portland Videojournalist Examiner that the crash took place around 12:45 PM, when a Ford SUV driven by Gary Couch, 63, of Redmond, Oregon, tried to pass a commercial truck on Highway 97 north of Chiloquin.
Read the rest »