Mother, daughter killed in crash near Sandy

A Toyota 4Runner, pictured on its roof, collided with a Toyota Corolla west of Sandy on Saturday.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/43704657.html

Story Updated: Apr 27, 2009 at 10:38 AM PDT
By KATU.com Staff

CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. - An Eagle Creek woman and her 11-year-old daughter were killed and a teen was injured in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 26 west of Sandy on Saturday, a wreck that closed down the highway for hours, authorities said.

Oregon State Police identified the deceased as 42-year-old Pamela L. Benson and her daughter Clarice Marie Benson.

According to state police, the mother was trying to turn left from Southeast Orient Drive to the highway's eastbound lanes about 5 p.m. when her 2005 Toyota Corolla was struck in the driver's side by a 1987 Toyota 4Runner heading west on the freeway. Witnesses told investigators that the SUV ran a red light prior to the crash, state police said.

The mother was pronounced dead at the scene while her daughter was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Oregon Health and Science University, where she died.

The driver of the SUV, 18-year-old Matthew Daniel Ingle of Estacada, was taken to OHSU for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, state police said.

Investigators closed down the highway for more than five hours following the wreck. A detour was established around the crash scene.

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Lonny Friberg, 62, of Scappoose, OR was killed by a careless driver on March 18, 2008 but because Oregon has no vehicular homicide law, the other driver was never charged with a crime. His daughters are fighting for a new law which would allow these types of homicides to be prosecuted.

This is a link to a .pdf file of mailing labels for all current Oregon senators.
http://www.leg.state.or.us/mailing_labels/senate_interim_labels.pdf

You may also copy and paste from this list:

Sen. Jason Atkinson
PO Box 1704
Grants Pass, OR 97528

Sen. Alan Bates
900 Court St. NE, S-312
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Suzanne Bonamici
900 Court St. NE, S-305
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Kate Brown
900 Court St. NE, S-323
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Ginny Burdick
900 Court St. NE, S-317
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Margaret Carter
PO Box 3722
Portland, OR 97208

Sen. Peter Courtney
900 Court St. NE, S-203
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Richard Devlin
900 Court St. NE, S-316
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Ted Ferrioli
900 Court St. NE, S-223
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Gary George
900 Court St. NE, S-214
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Larry George
900 Court St. NE, S-215
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Fred Girod
900 Court St. NE, S-217
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Avel Gordly
900 Court St. NE, S-303
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Mark Hass
900 Court St. NE, S-219
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Betsy Johnson
900 Court St. NE, S-314
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Jeff Kruse
636 Wild Iris Ln.
Roseburg, OR 97470

Sen. Rick Metsger
900 Court St. NE, S-307
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson
PO Box 1531
Gresham, OR 97030

Sen. Rod Monroe
900 Court St. NE, S-306
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Bill Morrisette
900 Court St. NE, S-309
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Frank Morse
900 Court St. NE, S-218
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. David Nelson
1407 NW Horn Ave.
Pendleton, OR 97801

Sen. Floyd Prozanski
PO Box 11511
Eugene, OR 97440

Sen. Kurt Schrader
900 Court St. NE, S-209
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Bruce Starr
900 Court St. NE, S-205
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Joanne Verger
2285 N 13th Ct.
Coos Bay, OR 97420

Sen. Vicki Walker
900 Court St. NE, S-210
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Ben Westlund
900 Court St. NE, S-318
Salem, OR 97301

Sen. Doug Whitsett
23131 N Poe Valley Rd.
Klamath Falls, OR 97603

Sen. Jackie Winters
900 Court St. NE, S-212
Salem, OR 97301

*email addresses will be added shortly.

Dear Senator,                                                                      (Date)
 
I am contacting you regarding a proposed vehicular homicide law in Oregon. In most states in the United States, vehicular homicide is a crime. In general, it involves death that results from the negligent operation of a vehicle, or that results from driving whilst committing an unlawful act that does not amount to a felony. In general, it is a lesser charge than manslaughter. In the Model Penal Code there is no separate category of vehicular homicide, and vehicular homicides that involve negligence are included in the overall category of negligent homicide.
 
As I'm sure you are aware, all states except Alaska, Montana, Arizona and Oregon have vehicular homicide statutes. These laws have the effect of making a vehicle a potentially deadly weapon, to allow for easier conviction and more severe penalties. In states with such statutes, defendants can still be charged with manslaughter or murder in some situations. The victim may be either a person not in the car with the offender, such as a cyclist, pedestrian or another motorist, or a passenger in the vehicle with the offender.
 
Lonny Friberg, was killed by a careless driver on March 18, 2008 at the intersection of Highway 30 and Cornelius Pass Road. The other driver was driving a full-size Ford truck and towing a trailer when he ran the red light and hit Mr. Friberg on the driver's side, as he was turning onto the highway towards Scappoose, killing him instantly. According to Chuck Sparks of the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, because there is no vehicular homicide law on the books in Oregon, these kinds of cases are near impossible to prosecute. I am sure you have also been contacted by others regarding this proposal, namely Mary O'Donnell, the widow of a bicyclist who was also killed by a careless driver last year (http://www.katu.com/news/19669639.html). You may also have seen the news story KATU did on Lonny Friberg's case (http://www.katu.com/news/19961609.html).  It is clear that this is an important issue to Oregonians, and in speaking with various people, it appears that many people were not even aware that this law did not exist here. Due to the nature of news reports conventionally only covering the accidents themselves and not following up on the prosecution side of things, it seems that many people simply assume these laws are in place and the individuals responsible are prosecuted accordingly. It is not until this kind of tragedy strikes their own families that they see just how flawed and incomplete Oregon's laws are regarding vehicular homicides.
 
I hope that you can find time to address the vehicular homicide issue, as it seems we are behind many other states in implementing such a law. At present, many cases are not prosecuted and the burden of enforcement falls upon the civil courts. In my opinion, this is an inadequate deterrent for this type of behavior, especially when the individual responsible has little or no assets on which to base such a lawsuit. In addition, I feel that drivers should take the responsibility of operating a motor vehicle very seriously, because just like a firearm, it can easily take someone's life if not handled properly. It is my sincere belief that a new law addressing these issues and stiffer penalties for careless driving would force people to realize just how important it is to pay careful attention when driving. This would, in turn, help keep the roads safer and hopefully prevent another family from having to spend a holiday without their loved one.
 
I wish to express my appreciation for reading my letter, and in advance for any assistance you can offer in this matter.
 
Sincerely,
 
(Your Name)