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 Portland personal injury attorney with experience in hit-and-run crashes who will fight for the justice and compensation that they deserve. At DuBois Law Group, 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.