Portland Personal Injury Attorneys

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.

Morning Crash Closes U.S. 30 Temporarily | Portland Injury Attorneys

Date: August 25, 2009
Location: U.S. 30, near Portland
Names: Joseph McMahon, Elliott Schwartzkopf

The Oregonian reports an accident that occurred this morning, August 25, 25 miles outside of Portland on U.S. 30.
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Fatal Accident In Lake County | Portland Injury Attorneys

Date: August 24, 2009
Location: U.S. 395, near Abert Lake
Names: Lauren Julia Allison, Michael Todd Bymoen

The Oregonian reports the death of an 18 year old woman after an accident that occurred near Abert Lake in Lake County this afternoon, August 24.

The accident happened when driver Michael Todd Bymoen, 22, of Scottsdale, Arizona, lost control of his vehicle on Highway 395. After over-correcting, his SUV rolled over and rested on the northbound shoulder. He was seriously injured, and taken to Lake District Hospital for care. He is listed as wearing a seat belt. His passenger, Lauren Julia Allison, 18, of Hines died at the scene. She was not using a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle.
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Two Fatalities in Northwest Portland Collision | Portland Injury Attorneys

Date: August 20, 2009
Location: Northwest Portland, near Northwest 185th Avenue and Kaiser Road
Names: Belinda Lopez, Thai Huong-Williams

The Oregonian reports the death of two individuals that occurred in Northwest Portland this evening.

An investigation into the crash has started, but what is readily apparent is that the collision occurred when Belinda Lopez, 47, of Washington county crossed the center line of Northwest 185th Avenue and Kaiser Road around 5:45 PM. She then collided into a 2003 minivan driven by Thai Hoang-Williams, 34, of Vancouver, causing the vehicle to drive into a nearby ditch. A team of good Samaritans pulled Huong-Williams from his vehicle, but the driver, along with Lopez were found dead at the scene. Investigators are looking into whether speed was a factor in the crash.
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Fatal Auto Accident on Oregon 126 Leaves 4 Others Injured

Date: August 15, 2009
Location: Oregon 126
Names: Sarah Elizabeth Dain, Craig Q. Watkins, Michael Huber, Carolyn Huber

The Oregonian reports the death of one woman and the injuries of four others in an accident that occurred Sunday morning, August 15th, 2009.

The accident happened as driver Sarah Elizabeth Dain, 58, of Florence was traveling westbound when her car crossed the center line of Oregon 126, sideswiping an eastbound truck driven by Craig Q. Watkins, 44, of Twin Falls, Idaho. Continuing to drive west in the eastbound lane, Dain collided head-on with a car driven by Michael W. Huber, 42, of Veneta. The car also contained Huber’s wife Carolyn and their two sons, aged 2 and 7. Members of the family were transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. They did not recieve any life-threatening injuries. Sarah Dain was pronounced dead at the scene.

This is a hard time for Sarah’s family, and we’re sure that questions regarding the accident are forming as we speak. We hope that any further investigation proves helpful in shedding light on Sarah’s last minutes. In the meantime, we hope that her loved ones come together over what is undoubtedly a hard time. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

We also hope Craig Watkins and the Huber family have time to fully recover from the emotional shock of being in an accident, but oftentimes insurance companies are often in a hurry to start legal proceedings, turning to the victims for statements to collect every detail available. We hope that this won’t be the case for the Dains, Craig Watkin’s or Dennis and Carolyn Huber, but all too often it is. To help in situations like these, we offer a free, informational book that can be accessed here, and that may be a great ally to the Dains during this time.

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.

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.

Cyclist Dragged 150 Feet in Road Rage Incident

Date: August 13, 2009
Location: Northeast Couch Street and Sandy Boulevard
Names: Kevin Stevenson, Kate Darnell

The Oregonian reported yesterday that a cyclist was seriously injured after being dragged 150 feet by an automobile driver.

The details of the incident are still forming, with varying viewpoints of what happened, but the Oregonian reports that at approximately 1 AM, cyclist Kevin Stevenson, 31, of Portland, along with his girlfriend Kate Darnell, 26, also of Portland and her family were biking near East Burnside near Sandy Boulevard when an unknown driver began to tailgate them. As the driver pulled around the cyclists, Stevenson began to yell at the driver. Darnell reports that Stevenson then approached the vehicle’s driver’s side window, and attempted to grab the driver, upset that the vehicle was too close to the cyclists. Conflicting accounts also indicate that Stevenson yelled at the driver and the driver backed up, grabbed Stevenson and continued to drag him for 150 feet. Stevenson was taken to Legacy Emanuel’s burn center for serious injuries to his back, shoulder, heels and legs.
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