Portland, Oregon – A Portland adolescent died in a head-on crash on State Route 14 in Camas on Monday night.
According to investigators, the motorist who hit the car carrying Mico O’Brien, 18, and two other passengers was driving the wrong way. The two automobiles collided head-on at 11 p.m., killing O’Brien and wounding the other passengers.
According to Portland Public Schools, O’Brien was a senior at Roosevelt High School who was just days away from graduating. The two injured passengers, Jack Craig and Will Rinehart, are also Roosevelt seniors. The district described the tragedy as “a tragic loss.”
Officers said Erik Moya, 23, of Vancouver, was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
According to Washington State Police, Moya had most certainly been driving the wrong way for quite some time, since they had received ten reports reporting someone going the wrong way on SR14 as far back as Milepost 0 near Vancouver.
However, numerous users on social media have accused officials of not responding quickly enough.
“Unfortunately, no troopers were in the vicinity to respond promptly. We sent troopers to that area to try to get ahead of it,” WSP stated. “We believe they traveled the wrong way the entire way where the collision happened.”
Moya faces one charge of vehicular homicide and two charges of vehicular assault.
Roosevelt Principal KD Parman made the following remark in a letter to the community:
At Roosevelt, we band together and assist one another, particularly during times of hardship. Mico was just days away from graduating from Roosevelt. Mico’s smile illuminated every room, and his warmth and generosity left an imprint on everyone of our hearts. Mico was kind, happy, and clearly loved by his friends, teachers, and our school community; our thoughts and prayers go out to Mico’s family and friends.
