Accused drunken driver faces $3M lawsuit

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The estate of a man who was killed during a traffic crash is suing the accused driver for $3 million dollars.

The investigation started on March 19 when police responded to reports of a pedestrian who had been struck in the area of Northeast Cully Blvd and Northeast Mason Street. Officers arrived to find Patrick Curry Sr. on the ground suffering from fatal injuries.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Curry, William Hurst, was taken into custody the night of the incident and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center.

According to court records, Hurst was employed within the sales division at Western Beverage, which is an Anheuser-Busch company.

“[Hurst] admitted that he had been drinking alcohol earlier in the evening,” according to court documents.

The civil lawsuit claims that Hurst caused Curry’s wrongful death by driving while intoxicated, failing to keep a proper distance from Curry, failing to yield the right of way, failing to keep a proper lookout, traveling at a rate of speed greater than was reasonable, and failing to avoid hitting Curry.

According to court records, Hurst is scheduled to appear before Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Eric J. Bloch on Oct. 10 where he will take a plea deal and be sentenced. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the scheduled court hearing but declined to comment on the details of the plea agreement.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.