Man Arrested for Drunk Driving Had Record

Date: September 21, 2009
Location: 26745 SW Farmington Road, Hillsboro, Oregon
Names: Andrew Johnston

According to OregonLive.com, 25-year-old Andrew Johnston, of Forest Grove, was arrested September 21, 2009, for driving while drunk in an accident in which, fortunately, nobody was seriously injured. But it wasn’t the first time he had been charged. Johnston had at least two previous drunken driving arrests, including a crash five years ago that left a friend paralyzed.

Police say Johnston was driving while intoxicated at about 2:39 AM when he was involved in a single-car crash at 26745 SW Farmington Road in Hillsboro. Johnston had no passengers in his vehicle at the time of the accident. After the crash, Johnston left the scene and was located by police dogs, who found him in a field near the crash site. Police were responding to a 9-1-1 call reporting the accident.

Sgt. David Thompson of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told The Oregonian that deputies found Johnston’s 1994 Oldsmobile Bravada upside down in a ditch. Johnston, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was treated at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. He has been charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants, hit-and-run driving, second-degree criminal mischief and reckless driving.

In 2004, Johnston was arrested after a crash that left one of his passengers, then 19 years old, paralyzed after being thrown from the vehicle.

Johnston was convicted in 2005 of third-degree assault and driving under the influence and sentenced to three years’ probation, which he had completed.

This arrest serves as a grim reminder of the results of driving while intoxicated. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, someone is killed by a drunken driver every 45 minutes, and last year an estimated 11,773 people died in alcohol-related crashes. The 2008 numbers, however, reflect a decline of 9.8 percent from the 13,041 fatalities recorded in 2007.

Johnston’s history of repeated offenses is not unique. MADD reports that even among drunk drivers whose licenses are suspended, 50 to 75 percent continue to drive.

This crash could have been much worse, and could have caused major injuries. We are thankful no one was seriously hurt or killed in this accident. Laws have been written to try to stop this sort of thing from happening, but as we can see, the law can do only so much. As personal injury attorneys, this is a case we do NOT want to see happen to anyone. Please, drive responsibly, and always designate a sober driver.

DuBois Law Group, is located in Portland, Oregon, and serves clients in all Oregon cities and counties, including: Portland, Beaverton, Multnomah County, Hillsboro, Gresham, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Tualatin, Troutdale, Sellwood, Corvallis, Salem, Eugene, and Albany.