(USNewsBreak.com) – When the weather warms up, authorities warn drivers to be on the lookout for motorcycles. An impact between the two could prove catastrophic for the bike rider, especially in a state where helmets aren’t mandated. One Oregon driver has now been charged in an accident after their Subaru collided with a motorcycle on Highway 26.
On Saturday, June 29, the Portland Police Bureau announced that they had charged 60-year-old David J. Bumgardner of Beaverton with assault in the second degree, reckless driving, assault in the third degree, and recklessly endangering another person. He was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center.
The charges stemmed from what could have been a devastating accident on Highway 26 on Wednesday, June 26. Police were called to reports of a crash between a motorcycle and a car. When they arrived, they found a Subaru on its roof and a 2016 Yamaha motorcycle on its side. There was debris from both vehicles on the road. The Subaru had reportedly overturned onto the motorcyclist, identified as 47-year-old Tha Ouk, but witnesses to the accident were able to lift the vehicle enough to free him.
Prior to the accident, Ouk is accused of lane splitting, which means riding in between lanes, an illegal maneuver. According to the charges, the Subaru driver believed that Ouk had hit his vehicle and, instead of stopping, kept going. That reportedly led Bumgardner to pursue him at a high rate of speed. Authorities say that when Ouk came to a stop, Bumgardner couldn’t stop in time and struck him.
Despite the severity of the accident, Bumgardner walked away with no injuries. Ouk was transported to the local hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Ouk has been cited with multiple driving offenses, including failure to drive within the lane, failure to register a motor vehicle, careless driving, driving without a motorcycle endorsement, and driving uninsured.
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