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.
By Nick Winkler and KATU Web Staff
SCAPPOOSE, Ore. - On this Father's Day, two daughters who lost their Dad three months ago in a crash are pushing for change.
Lonny Friberg, 62, was on his way home when another driver ran a red light and killed him on Highway 30 at Cornelius Pass Road.
Since the charge of vehicular homicide does not exist in Oregon, the driver who killed him did not technically do anything wrong, at least criminally.
His two daughters have been pushing lawmakers to draw up a vehicular homicide law for Oregon, which is one of only four states without one.
Friberg's daughters said he would want them to push for a change that could protect others.
The law they are pushing for would make vehicular homicide a felony punishable by 10 years in prison.
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)