Gerald Sullivan, 68, was arrested for DUII after driving the wrong way on freeway leading to accident
VANCOUVER — A Vancouver man that crashed his vehicle after driving the wrong way on the I-405 freeway in Portland early Saturday morning has been arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII).
On Saturday (Sept. 22) at 12:49 a.m., Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Central Precinct officers were dispatched to a report of a vehicle driving southbound in the northbound lanes of I-405. As officers responded, they learned that the vehicle crashed into another vehicle nearly head-on. They located the crash on northbound I-405 at Southwest 4th Avenue. Officers found the wrong-way vehicle, a Honda sedan, with the driver still inside. The other involved vehicle, a Toyota SUV, had a driver and a passenger with minor injuries.
Medical crews responded and transported the driver of the Honda sedan, Gerald R. Sullivan, 68, of Vancouver, to the hospital by ambulance. His injuries were found to be minor. Officers from PPB’s Traffic Division responded and investigated. They determined that Sullivan was impaired by alcohol. His blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tested at 0.22 percent. The BAC legal limit in Oregon is 0.08 percent.
Sullivan was criminally cited for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving.
It’s not clear where he first got on the freeway going the wrong direction.
Approximately 1/3 of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers (with blood alcohol concentrations [BACs] of .08 of higher). In 2017, there were 10,874 people killed in drunk-driving crashes. To put it in perspective, that’s equal to about 20 jumbo jets crashing, with no survivors.
The Portland Police Traffic Division is committed to providing enforcement and raising awareness regarding traffic safety for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians. Each year, traffic officers respond to preventable collisions. These collisions can deeply impact those involved, their families and loved ones. Traffic officers’ number one priority is to address behaviors of all road users that might lead to a collision, including speed, impairment, distraction, and disobeying signals.
The Portland Police Bureau works closely with its partners in government and the community to create safer streets and work toward reducing, and eventually eliminating, traffic fatalities as part of Vision Zero.
To learn more about the City of Portland’s Vision Zero effort, please visit: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/40390
Information provided by Portland Police Bureau.
