Amusement parks are cherished destinations where memories are made and thrills are experienced. By adhering to these regulations, amusement parks contribute to a vibrant and secure environment that allows visitors to embark on unforgettable journeys while knowing that their safety is in capable hands. Here is what you need to know if you are injured….
Jeremiah Ross received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Oregon State Bar for his service on the Oregon State Bar Uniform Civil Jury Instructions Committee. The committee is responsible for drafting instructions Oregon Judges and lawyers use to educate the jury on points of law.
If you need assistance with a legal matter, call Oregon Trial Attorney Jeremiah Ross at 503.224.1658. He is happy to help people injured by negligence of others, crime victims, and consumers.
Jeremiah Ross was recently featured in an Astoria Oregon Newspaper article.
The Full article is below:
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By Derrick DePledgeThe Daily Astorian
Published:November 4, 2015 8:10AM
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A makeshift memorial under the Astoria Bridge honors Carrie Barnhart, who committed suicide in April.
Family believes death was preventable
The family of the woman who jumped from the Astoria Bridge in April is preparing a lawsuit against Clatsop County and Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, alleging her suicide was preventable and that the county and the private mental health provider failed statutory and moral obligations to protect her from harm.
Carrie Barnhart, a 54-year-old mother of six, had chronic mental illness and committed suicide a week after Astoria Police pulled her from the bridge after midnight and took her to Columbia Memorial Hospital, where she was evaluated by Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare and released after two hours.
Astoria Police had responded to suicide threats from Barnhart four times between January and April, and her family disclosed several other instances over the previous year where she had threatened to kill herself.
In a tort claim notice filed in October, Jeremiah Ross, a Portland attorney for the Barnhart family, argues that state law imposes obligations on the county, Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare and others to protect the mentally ill from harming themselves. The notice, a precursor to a lawsuit seeking damages, was also sent to Lincoln County and Benton County, where Barnhart received mental health treatment, and the Oregon Health Authority, which oversees mental health services statewide.
“Ms. Barnhart lacked the mental capacity to protect herself from harm, and Oregon law prescribes safeguards to protect her from harming herself,” Ross wrote. “From the record, it becomes apparent adequate safeguards were not in place. People and entities were not doing their jobs.”
Deficiencies in mental heath care
The notice refers to deficiencies at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare — many of which were documented by The Daily Astorian in August — and the fact that the county renewed a contract with the private provider to administer mental health programs despite being aware of the criticism.
Ross highlighted an April email from Scott Somers, the former county manager, who, after reading about Barnhart’s suicide, wrote to a colleague that it sounded “like another case of denying admission to someone in need. This is the consistent message we’ve been hearing.”
“CBH’s failures made Carrie Barnhart’s suicide inevitable, because Ms. Barnhart’s suicide, ‘was another case of denying admission to someone in need,’” Ross wrote in the tort claim notice.
The state Office of Adult Abuse Prevention and Investigations is conducting an investigation into Barnhart’s death. The state could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday about the status of the investigation.
Clatsop County forwarded the tort claim notice to Citycounty Insurance Services in Salem, the county’s insurance carrier. Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare is reviewing the notice with counsel and had no further comment.
Committed to improving care
In August, Sumuer Watkins, the executive director of Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, told The Daily Astorian in a written statement that the agency is committed to improving crisis-response services.
A crisis respite center being planned for Warrenton is expected to provide an alternative to jail or hospitalization, a potential safety valve that could help prevent patients like Barnhart from being released too early.
Mental health treatment is a challenge across Oregon, particularly in rural parts of the state, but Barnhart’s suicide called attention to the persistent gaps in Clatsop County, where the two major hospitals — Columbia Memorial Hospital and Providence Seaside — are not certified to provide involuntary care, custody or treatment for the mentally ill.
District Attorney Josh Marquis said in July that the county is in crisis on mental health. Astoria Police Chief Brad Johnston and several of his police officers have also been exasperated that mental health intervention too often falls to law enforcement.
Struggle with mental illness
The tort claim notice outlines Barnhart’s struggle with mental illness in greater detail than her family had previously disclosed publicly.
Barnhart, according to the notice, had been brought to Columbia Memorial Hospital and Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare’s attention in November 2014 because she was having hallucinations. She was transferred to Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis in Benton County for treatment.
The notice claims Barnhart was released in December 2014 to her family’s trailer in Toledo, in Lincoln County, but that neither Benton nor Lincoln counties provided follow-up services.
After her family brought Barnhart back to live in Astoria, she drew the attention of Astoria Police, Columbia Memorial Hospital and Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare in January after she cut her neck with a knife. She was transferred to Salem Hospital for care.
After two more suicide threats in January — one where Astoria Police learned she had been hearing voices telling her to jump off the Astoria Bridge and another where police found her on the bridge — she was again taken to Columbia Memorial Hospital, evaluated by Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare and transferred to Good Samaritan in Corvallis.
Barnhart was eventually discharged from the hospital and returned to her family in Astoria. Police intercepted her on the bridge one last time before she finally carried out her suicide plan in late April.
‘Cracks in the system’
While the tort claim notice foreshadows a complaint for monetary damages, Ross said the family wants answers about what happened to Barnhart.
“A lot of it is about getting answers and trying to hold some people accountable,” Ross said.
Artanya Barnhart, Barnhart’s daughter, said she wants to ensure that “this doesn’t happen to another family and that family has to go through this senseless pain.
“I just think there are cracks in the system and it needs to be fixed.”
A recent Oregonian article highlights the various concerns about UBER and similar ride-share services. Recently a young woman was waiting in front of a Portland Oregon bar. She had used her UBER phone app to request an UBER pick her up. A large male driver appeared and asked her if she was waiting for an UBER. She confirmed she was.
Earlier this year Ross Law LLC and Portland Oregon Attorney Jeremiah Ross prevailed in a legal battle against a government contractor who claimed it should be entitled to the same rights and remedies as the United States Government. The case involved a sexual abuse assault of a student who was raped at a Job Corps Center.
The link below is to the Magistrate’ s Opinion.
Order to Remand and For Attorney Fees
If you have any questions related to litigating against a Job Corps center, or are a crime victim at a Job Corps center please call Portland Personal Injury Attorney Jeremiah Ross at 503.224.1658.
Aimee Green | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on September 05, 2014 at 7:00 AM, updated September 05, 2014 at 9:47 AM
A 20-year-old woman who was raped by a security guard while she was passed out drunk at her school, Springdale Job Corps in Troutdale, filed a $7.5 million lawsuit this week.
According to the suit and court papers filed in the criminal case against former security guard Gerard Matthew Rudich, the woman had attended an off-campus party on Oct. 27, 2012, when she became so intoxicated that she vomited. She phoned Rudich to give her and some other students a ride back to the 52-acre campus, 31224 E. Historic Columbia River Highway.
Rudich, who had given rides to students in a school van before, retrieved the students and sent all but the woman back to their dorm rooms, the suit says. He asked the woman to blow into a breathalyzer, which at 2:15 a.m. recorded her blood alcohol content at .17 percent.
The woman repeatedly lost and regained consciousness — awakening at one point to find Rudich raping her in the security building, the suit claims.
Rudich, 57, pleaded guilty in Multnomah County Circuit Court to first-degree rape and was sentenced last month to more than eight years in prison.
The lawsuit seeks damages from both Rudich and the operators of the school, including Chugach World Services Inc. and Management & Training Corp.
A Chugach spokesperson released this statement: “The health and safety of our people, including the students at Springdale Job Corps Center, is our highest priority. Because the situation involves litigation, I cannot discuss the matter in any further detail.”
The school’s website describes it as a “no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor” for students ages 16 to 24.
The suit faults Job Corps for allegedly hiring Rudich without certification as a security guard from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. The suit states DPSST might not have certified Rudich because of his criminal history, which included prostitution in 1992 and fraudulent use of a credit card in 1982.
Rudich, a Southeast Portland resident, had been married for more than 35 years at the time of his arrest. He has at least two adult children and is a military veteran who was honorably discharged.
The lawsuit was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court by Portland attorney Jeremiah Ross.
— Aimee Green
If you were the victim of a sexual assault it is important to know your rights and remedies. Please call Portland, Oregon Attorney Jeremiah Ross at 503.224.1658 to discuss your options. A crime victim should never feel alone, and you deserve answers.
I previously posted on the various issues with Uber Drivers that may arise in Portland. Sexual Assaults, Rape, Assaults, and Kidnappings are all legitimate concerns everyone should have when they enter an Uber car or other Ride-Share car. Below are a few tips that may or may not be of use to you if you are riding an ride-share car alone, but should get you thinking about your safety while in a ride-share Car. These tips are not tested and proven and are generally based on common sense, so take them with a grain of salt.
Things to Do before You Enter a Ride-Share Car:
What to do Once In the Uber Car or other Ride-Share Car:
When in doubt Call 911. If you have been sexually assaulted, assaulted, raped, or harassed call 911 immediately. You may be able to prevent the perpetrator from assaulting others if you act quickly. The tips above are by no means an exhaustive list. The tips are meant to get you thinking about your personal safety while riding in an Uber car or other Ride-Share car such as Lyft.
If you were sexually assaulted, assaulted, raped, or harassed while in an Uber Car call 911 and then call Jeremiah Ross and Ross Law LLCat 503.224.1658. A s a former Deputy District Attorney and a Portland Oregon Attorney that deeply cares about victim’s rights, Jeremiah will fight to ensure you receive answers, your rights are honored, your voice is heard, and you receive the compensation for the hell this has caused you.
Please remember this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult with a security expert if you have further questions relating to how to protect yourself in every situation involving a ride-share driver.
Uber has fought its way into the Portland Oregon ride share market, and did some interesting things to get there. Riders can now download the Uber App and wait for a friendly Uber Driver to pick them up. However, what happens when an Uber driver is not so friendly?
In December 2012 a young woman was sexually assaulted by a taxi cab driver in Portland. The driver made some inappropriate comments to her, then groped her, and attempted to kiss her. As you can imagine this is a terrifying experience for a young woman just trying to get home. The woman wanted answers and filed a lawsuit alleging the cab company was negligent. A Jury awarded the woman a substantial amount of money for the sexual assault.
This type of scenario has happened in Uber cars all around the country. Uber drivers have sexually assaulted people, raped women, punched people, and even kidnapped people.
The articles below are just a small sample of the various Uber incidents around the country.
Driver Allegedly Kidnaps Drunk Woman in LA (ValleyWag)
Woman Claims Uber Driver Kidnapped Rider (The Daily Beast)
Uber Driver Takes Riders on High Speed Chase (Washington Post)
Woman Says She Was Raped and Kidnapped By Uber Driver(Jezebel)
Uber and the City of Portland have agreed the City will approvebackground checks. However, that may not prevent sexual assaults, kidnappings, assaults, or felons getting behind the wheel. In Houston an Uber Driver accused of raping a passenger had finished a 14 year prison sentence just three years prior to starting working as an Uber Driver. In Los Angeles a felon had passed an Uber Background Check. In Chicago a Felon was driving an Uber Car. A San Francisco Uber Driver accused of assaulting a passenger had a long criminal history. Portland may have more stringent standards, or they may not. We will not know until the first incident occurs.
Should the unthinkable happen and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, raped, or assaulted by an Uber or other Ride-share operator contact Jeremiah Ross and Ross Law LLC at 503.224.1658. Jeremiah Ross is a Portland, Oregon Attorney and former prosecutor who will fight to get answers and pursue a civil case on your behalf to hold people and corporations accountable for their actions. Please remember this post is for information only.
