Imagine that you are driving down the highway. It’s the middle of the night and few cars are around. Suddenly, however, you see headlights. Not from the opposite lanes, but in your lane moving toward you. There may be little you can do to avoid a catastrophic collision. Perhaps you try to swerve out of the way, bracing yourself for the possibility of a crash. Unfortunately, a 38-year-old Portland man was recently put in this scenario when a woman entered the highway going the wrong direction.
Authorities say a 27-year-old Lake Oswego woman entered Oregon 217 at the Walker Road exit ramp and proceeded southbound in the northbound lanes. Her vehicle subsequently collided head-on with a northbound Chevrolet driven by a 38-year-old Portland man, and like most head-on car accidents, the incident resulted in serious injuries. However, initial reports indicated that the two drivers, who were both taken to hospitals, were expected to survive the incident.
The highway lanes were kept closed for approximately seven hours as authorities investigated the collision and attempted to discern exactly what occurred. To complicate matters, a third car was said to have subsequently collided with one of the cars, though police were initially unclear about how that had happened.
While both injured parties strive to recover from their unspecified injuries, they will likely be interested in the formal police report of the accident. In Portland and elsewhere in Oregon, those individuals who suffer serious injury from car accidents that were caused by the negligent or reckless conduct of another may elect to pursue a personal injury claim.
Source: Oregonlive.com, “Two hurt in crash when car goes wrong way on Oregon 217,” Sally Ho, Feb. 19, 2012