On Wednesday night, March 7, 2011, in downtown Portland, a serious crash involving a Broadway Cab resulted in traumatic injuries to two female pedestrians walking on the sidewalk at SW 10th Avenue and Morrison.
At about 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night, a cab driver for Broadway cab, Moktar Mohamud Mohamed, reportedly ran through the red light at the intersection of SW Morrison and SW 10th, ran into a black BMW being driven by Joseph David. The Broadway cab driver then lost control and crashed into two women who were standing on the corner of the intersection. Witnesses have reported that the pedestrians were wearing hospital scrubs and may be medical students.
After striking the pedestrians, who have been identified as Dian Rae Bennett and Lora Lee Nearing, the taxi cab reportedly continued into the storefront of Ray's Ragtime clothing store and pinned Dian Bennett against the building. Portland police said both Bennett and Nearing suffered leg injuries, but Bennet's injuries are "very serious."
News agencies have released some details about what may have happened. According to reports of witness accounts, it is believed that moments before the collision involving the Bennett and Nearing, the taxi cab driving my Mohamud Mohamed may have been clipped by a passing car as it sat stationary. Mohamud Mohamed was standing nearby and witnesses indicate he jumped into his taxi to chase after the offending vehicle, and in a reckless effort to catch the fleeing car, the Broadway taxi is believed to have blown through the red light at a high rate of speed for that intersection and collided with the BMW traveling north, which sent Mohamud Mohamed into the pedestrians. Witnesses estimate Mohamud Mohamed appeared to be traveling between 40 and 50 miles per hour through the intersection.
It is, without question, so very tragic when the life of an innocent victim is forever changed in an instant as a result of another person's carelessness. If events unfolded as witnesses describe, a driver speeding through a red light downtown is in no way justified, even to chase a vehicle that caused property damage moments earlier. To fly through a downtown intersection, through a red light at 50 mph to get the license plate of a driver who caused, in this case probably minimal, property damage is grossly irresponsible. Such a decision by any driver, if true, would seem to completely disregard the very good likelihood that someone could be seriously injured or killed.
According to news reports Mohamud Mohamed has denied speeding or running a red light.
The injured pedestrians, Bennett and Nearing, both 41, one of whom suffers traumatic injuries, as well as both drivers of the vehicles, Joseph David and Mohamud Mohamed, were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Angel Law PC is a Portland Oregon injury litigation firm that represents victims of negligence.