Alcohol and other intoxicants often impair common sense and good judgment, which may lead to a choice to get behind the wheel of a car. A man in southern Oregon now faces several criminal charges after police suspect that driving under the influence may have contributed to a crash that injured his two passengers. Fortunately, only his vehicle was involved in the car accident.
The incident happened in Jackson County early on a Friday morning when the 26-year-old driver struck a pole. Two people were ejected from the vehicle. The passenger in the front seat suffered minor injuries. The passenger in the backseat had extensive, non-critical injuries. Both were treated at a local hospital and then released.
The driver left the accident scene. Police reported that he showed signs of being intoxicated when they found him. He was arrested and charged with hit and run, DUI, reckless endangering, third-degree assault and reckless driving. He was examined by a doctor before being taken to the county jail.
The two passengers in this car accident are likely feeling very fortunate that their injuries were not as serious as they could have been. Despite not being severely injured, they may still have mounting medical expenses from the treatment they received after the accident, in addition to lost wages if they missed any work. Oregon law may allow them to file a personal injury claim seeking monetary compensation to cover these financial losses. It may also be possible for injured accident victims to receive compensation for pain and suffering and emotional distress if they can establish that their injuries were caused by the negligence of the driver.
Source: DailyTidings.com, “Ashland man arrested after crash that injured two people,” Mandy Valencia, Dec. 8, 2012
