Fatal Accident In Lake County

Date: August 24, 2009
Location: U.S. 395, near Abert Lake
Names: Lauren Julia Allison, Michael Todd Bymoen

The Oregonian reports the death of an 18 year old woman after an accident that occurred near Abert Lake in Lake County this afternoon, August 24.

The accident happened when driver Michael Todd Bymoen, 22, of Scottsdale, Arizona, lost control of his vehicle on Highway 395. After over-correcting, his SUV rolled over and rested on the northbound shoulder. He was seriously injured, and taken to Lake District Hospital for care. He is listed as wearing a seat belt. His passenger, Lauren Julia Allison, 18, of Hines died at the scene. She was not using a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle.

This is a truly heartbreaking event.  Please keep Lauren’s family in your prayers.  We pray that her family will be able to stick together and support each other through this horrible time.

While accidents like this one can seem black or white, a closer investigation will sometimes turn up a surprise.  Many will assume that Bymoen fell asleep at the wheel, or stopped paying attention for some other reason.   And perhaps that is exactly what happened.  But there are many other possibilities as well.  Poor road conditions may have caused this wreck – for all we know, there may have been a large pothole that has already caused three prior accidents, or maybe there’s a blind curve with a missing warning sign.  If that is the case, there may be a lawsuit available against the city/county/state.  Such a lawsuit would allow the injured person to receive compensation and hopefully prevent future accidents on that stretch of road.  Maybe the car was recently brought in for a tune-up, and the mechanic replaced the steering mechanism carelessly, and the car lost steering.

As Portland accident attorneys who want to help out in this difficult situation, but without being ambulance chasers, we would like to offer a complimentary copy of our book to the families of Ms. Allison and Mr. Bymoen.  This book, 7 Common Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Oregon Accident Case will help you in your dealings with the legal side of things, without having to get a lawyer involved before you want to.