Portland Sued $3.7M for Crosswalk Death

An Oregon family has filed a lawsuit in Multnomah County, Ore., over the death of their daughter, Lindsay Alyse Leonard, while she was crossing the street. The family claims the city, Portland General Electric Co. and Supervalue Inc. grocery store is liable because it failed to property maintain the intersection and street light above the intersection.

According to court documents, Leonard was walking in a crosswalk after grocery shopping with a friend. While in the crosswalk, Tito Jose Feliciano, a regional manager for the grocery chain in Oregon and Washington, struck them. Leonard was killed at the scene. Her friend, Jessica Finlay, was hospitalized and later died from her collision-related injuries, according to the lawsuit.

At the time of the collision, the stop line and crosswalk markings were in disrepair, and some of the white markings were missing. The lawsuit claims such “disrepair created a hazardous condition.”

Moreover, the lawsuit says the city was aware of the crosswalk disrepair for at least a year, and had received notice that drivers were not yielding for pedestrians in the crosswalk.

The lawsuit believes the grocery chain is also liable for failing to maintain adequate policies on safe driving for their regional managers.