Callahan & Blaine

During a recent visit by President Obama to Portland, OR a motorcyclist was killed when security measures on Interstate 84 snarled traffic, causing a traffic accident. The westbound lanes were completely closed to accommodate the President’s motorcade, and eastbound traffic ground to a halt when motorists slowed down, hoping to catch a glimpse of the President as his motorcade passed through Portland.

An approaching eastbound motorcyclist, Peter Kendall Gunderson age 59, apparently did not notice that traffic had slowed, and slid under the back end of a car when he tried to avoid a collision. The driver of the car felt the impact and pulled forward, but at that point the motorcycle burst into flames. Multiple motorists came to the victim’s aid and pulled him from the burning wreckage, but Gunderson’s leg was on fire and he was badly injured. He was immediately tended to by a nearby police officer, and transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries. Emergency vehicles were delayed in their response due to the heavy traffic in the area resulting from President Obama’s visit.

The accident and the President’s motorcade caused both lanes of Interstate 84, the major east-west artery through town, to be closed for approximately two hours.

Callahan & Blaine, California’s premier litigation firm, is one of the leading catastrophic injury firms in the state of California. In fact, in the last five years alone our lawyers have obtained over $1.2 billion in verdicts and settlements, including a $7 million settlement for a cyclist who was left with a traumatic brain injury after being struck by a newspaper delivery truck, and a $7.25 million settlement in a case when a man was run over trying to board a city bus in Orange County, California.

Our success in litigating and negotiating personal injury cases comes from our uncommon approach; we handle each personal injury case as though it were a complex business litigation case, attacking it from every angle possible. While our firm is located in Orange County, California, we handle serious personal injury, wrongful death and product liability cases nationwide.

If you or someone you know has suffered a catastrophic injury or died as the result of a traffic accident, please contact our California law firm for expert legal counsel.