A California truck driver, Brenden Larry Christensen, has been charged with DUI and manslaughter after his stalled truck led to the death of a teen
According to police reports Brenden Larry Christensen, who is from California, was driving in Oregon climbing a steep hill when his Freightline Cascadia would stall several times.
A teen, Davin Jack Smith, would drive into the back of the semi truck killing him. Two passengers in his vehicle would be seriously injured in the crash
When officers arrived at the scene they would find Brenden Larry Christensen with obvious signs of impairment
Brenden Larry Christensen would be arrested for suspicion of DUI and manslaughter
There are a number of areas that raise cause of concern in this particular article
- Obvious the most troubling aspect is the fact that Brenden Larry Christensen may have been impaired at the time of the accident. Unfortunately this happens a lot more than it should
- I am assuming Brenden Larry Christensen was driving a manual truck due to the number of times he allegedly stalled while climbing the hill. Wonder if his level of alleged impairment made it difficult to properly shift the truck for that particular grade or it was a mechanical issue
- If Brenden Larry Christensen was having multiple stalling issues with his truck was his hazard lights activated. Even without the stalling a truck needs to have his/her hazards on if climbing a steep grade below the speed limit for this lets other vehicles on the road know its going slow
Brenden Larry Christensen News
According to court documents filed in Douglas County Circuit Court, the fiery collision on Interstate Five in Southern Douglas County on Monday afternoon resulted in one death, multiple injuries, and the arrest of a San Diego man operating a truck and trailer.
The collision occurred at about 3 p.m. Monday, in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 90 between Azalea and Canyonville. The victims’ vehicle had reportedly collided with the rear of the truck and trailer, and became embedded underneath the trailer, where it caught fire.
An investigation by the Oregon State Police allegedly revealed that the semi-trailer truck had stalled in the lane of travel, and had not pulled onto the shoulder, which reportedly was the cause of a passenger vehicle slamming into the back of the trailer.
Multiple passengers were reportedly inside the trailing vehicle when it collided with the rear of the trailer. One person was declared dead at the scene, while two others were transported by helicopter to Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford.
According to charging documents filed Tuesday by the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, a fourth person survived the accident with injuries. The News-Review has reached out to the Oregon State Police in order to clarify in which vehicle that fourth victim was riding.
The state police later confirmed the decedent to have been David Jack Smith, 18, of El Sobrante, CA, who was believed to have been behind the wheel of the passenger vehicle. One of the patients transported by ambulance was his twin sister, Annika Jace Smith, and the other was their father, Lawrence Wayne Smith, Jr.
The fourth victim was Ivan Amadeo Gonzalez, 19, of Hercules, CA, who was reportedly a family friend of the Smiths and was riding in their vehicle. Gonzalez was transported to a hospital by ground ambulance with injuries that were less serious, according to state police.
At the scene, the state police identified the driver of the semi-truck as Brenden Larry Christensen, 61, of San Diego. Christensen was reportedly driving north from Corning, CA, in a 2014 Freightliner with California registration.
Further investigation allegedly revealed evidence that the semi-truck had been stalling on hills, with its speed dropping to less than 12 milers per hour until it again stalled just before being hit from behind, this time to a speed even lower.
Based in part on the driver’s alleged knowledge of the mechanical difficulties, the investigation indicated a reckless knowledge of endangering other drivers and the Oregon State Police arrested Christensen for first-degree manslaughter.
Another contributing factor to the manslaughter charge was an observation by the Oregon State Police that Christensen may have been impaired. Court records indicate that investigators seized a blood sample from Christensen under the exigency of dissipating evidence, then obtained a search warrant to seize another blood sample.
Oregon case law on cases of possible impaired driving that causes serious injury or death generally allows for the first seizure of a blood sample to occur without a search warrant, so long as a warrant is later obtained to examine the sample’s toxicology.
Monday evening the state police arrested Christensen and lodged him in the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of first-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving. Tuesday morning the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office added more charges.
Christensen is now facing an additional three felonies: one count each of second-degree assault for causing serious physical injuries to three victims, with his semi-truck being classified in court documents as a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Judge Steve Hoddle set Christensen’s bail at $500,000, and confirmed that Christensen’s application for a court-appointed attorney was denied, as he is financially ineligible.
“You need to start working on hiring a lawyer,” Hoddle said.
California trucker arrested in fatal collision | Court | nrtoday.com
