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On Friday, June 10, 2016, a Multnomah County Jury, in no uncertain terms, let the City of Salem know that its employees, like all citizens, must adhere to the rules of the road. The case was tried to a jury by attorneys Paul H. Krueger and Wade M. Bowyer of the Paul Krueger Law Firm, PC.

The case arose from a motor vehicle collision that occurred on April 16, 2013 when a 13-ton City of Salem utility truck or “boom truck,” operated by a City of Salem employee attempted to make a U-turn across five lanes of traffic and struck a passenger vehicle be operated by Ms. Phyllis Murray. The employee had just completed utility work at the signal box located at the corner of Commercial Street and Fairway Street, in Salem Oregon when he needed to move the vehicle to the opposite side of the intersection to work on the light. Just as he maneuvered his truck off of the curb and into the northbound lanes of traffic, Ms. Murray made a left hand turn onto Commercial Street and began traveling northbound in the left northbound lanes of Commercial Street. As Ms. Murray began to pass the utility truck, in her designated lane of travel, the employee attempted a U-turn, striking the passenger side of Ms. Murray’s vehicle.

Ms. Murray suffered injury to her low back, which ultimately required surgical intervention. Unfortunately, Ms. Murray contracted a post surgical infection that required her to undergo eight months of hospital care and which continues to leave her with permanent and disabling injuries.

The City attempted to argue that their employee driver was not at fault for causing this collision and that Ms. Murray had somehow been the cause of this collision. Through the trial process it became clear that the City had failed to follow its own procedures and practices in investigating the collision and had done nothing more than rely on the statements of their driver to determine fault. It was pointed out to the jury that the driver may face discipline if found to be at fault and had an incentive to invent a story with regard to the cause of the collision. It was further pointed out to the jury that no investigation was conducted, post collision, as was required by the City’s own policies. Further, defense counsel, Michael Lehner of Rodrigues and Lehner, also attempted to argue that City vehicles were not required to follow traffic safety laws, an argument that flew in the face of City procedure manuals that were admitted into evidence.

After deliberating for more than four hours, the jury returned a verdict compensating Ms. Murray for her injuries in a total amount of $862,272.45. The panel was not unanimous and two the jurors disagreeing with the verdict indicated that they would have awarded the Ms. Murray additional compensation, beyond that awarded by the consensus of the panel.

To read the full news article with regard to this matter follow the link to the Statesman Journal.

The Paul Krueger Law Firm proudly announces that, together with US Bank, Portland State University, Metro, and Premiere Community Bank, the law firm has agreed to serve as a Premiere Sponsor for the 2016 Fiesta of Hope fundraiser. The event benefits Adelante Mujeres, a Forest Grove-based organization providing education and empowerment opportunities to Latina women of all ages and backgrounds. The Fiesta of Hope 2016 will be held at the Oregon Zoo on Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 6:00 p.m.

Adelante Mujeres literally means “Women rise up, move forward” and that is exactly what this group brings to life. Since its founding in 2002, Adelante Mujeres’ work has touched more than 3,000 low-income Latina families in Washington County.

Education services for women provide the foundational building blocks from which they can grow and pursue viable employment. For farming families, targeted programs focus on teaching sustainable practices for long-term success. A specific small business development program assists Latina women in running their own businesses in a manageable and profitable manner. For toddlers and youth, Adelante Mujeres provides education and mentorship to foster independence, leadership and healthy lifestyles as children grow into adulthood.

The firm’s founder, Paul Krueger, describes the firm’s support of Adelante Mujeres as a logical extension of its work with other charitable causes, and how that support taps into the basic fiber of the law firm’s existence. “With success comes the reciprocal obligation to give back to the community for how good the law has been to our firm and the clients we serve. We stand behind Adelante Mujeres as the organization continues to provide Latina women basic skills with which to enrich their lives and the lives of their families. It takes such a small effort to understand, appreciate and applaud the vision of Adelante Mujeres to make our community a place where all families thrive.”

Everyone at the Paul Krueger Law Firm invites the community to join them in their support of Adelante Mujeres and the Fiesta of Hope 2016.

Most prescription drugs have known side effects. This is not a surprise to the public. However, pharmaceutical companies are legally and ethically required to disclose all such side effects in an effort to prevent serious complications for patients who take their medications. Oregon patients have the right to trust in this level of security. When this does not happen, the need to seek compensation through either medical malpractice or product liability lawsuits may arise.

That is exactly what thousands of people across the United States did after suffering injuries or the loss of loved ones due to risks associated with the blood thinner Pradaxa. Between the time the drug was approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 2010 and the following year, more than 540 people had died from uncontrollable bleeding. Thousands more suffered bleeding in the brain, rectum or gastro-intestinal tract. Read more…

Residents in Portland and the surrounding areas must trust in the care of their healthcare providers on a daily basis. This can include physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, therapists and more. Most of the time, such trust is warranted but the rate of medical errors does suggest that negligence occurs more frequently than people would like to think. Hospital liability or medical malpractice lawsuits can be filed in such situations, offering victims and their family members some hope of compensation.

A family in California is in such a situation currently over the death of their 80-year old relative at a local hospital. However, their case has taken some unusual turns and they have withdrawn their original lawsuit and filed a new one based upon new evidence that came to light during the first case. After suffering a heart attack, the woman was declared dead and her body was placed in the hospital morgue. Morticians later found her with bruised and cuts on her face and her nose broken. The family filed a suit claiming that her body had been improperly handled. Read more…

Hospital Liability and Medical Malpractice

When Portland, Oregon patients seek medical treatment, they have a desire and a need to trust in the quality of the care that they receive. This includes trust in both the decisions made by and actions of healthcare providers as well as trust in the quality of products or medications that may be used. When a defective product is found to be responsible for negative and potentially even fatal side effects, action must be taken.

Despite being cleared for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 and 2009, more than half of the Stryker Rejuvenate metal hip replacements were reported to lead to patient problems. The high failure rate within only one or two years of being placed and other complications eventually led Stryker to recall the product. In addition, approximately 1,500 lawsuits against the manufacturer have been filed nationwide. Read more…