Couple injured in 2018 fiery crash settles with City of TD
Footage of Ronald Madorin’s Bel Air on fire after it flipped on Second Street near the parking lot of JCPenny in August of 2018. A couple injured in the accident recently settled its lawsuit with The Dalles Main Street Program and the City of The Dalles. Madorin did not have auto insurance and filed for bankruptcy. To see the whole video on FOX 12 click here.
Ronald Leroy Madorin of Portland had no insurance when his vehicle struck a local couple in 2018. He was uninsured.
By Tom Peterson
A local couple struck by 1955 Chevy Bel Air after it flipped during a burnout during the 2018 Neon Nights cruise downtown The Dalles has settled a lawsuit with the City of The Dalles and The Dalles Mainstreet for $165,000.
Craig and Jessica Byers were originally seeking $1.2 million in compensation.
“It was settled by the insurance company for a nominal amount,” said The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays. “I’ll just leave it at that.”
Steven Kahn, attorney for the injured couple, has not returned phone calls.
The injury occurred when Ronald Leroy Madorin’s 1955 Chevy Bel Air after a burnout on Second Street hit the couple. He did not have insurance on the vehicle.
Madorin of Portland, who was sentenced to jail for assault for causing the Aug. 10, 2018 injuries, was dropped from the suit because he filed for bankruptcy.
The case exposes the problem of uninsured motorists in the United States. One in eight drivers does not carry insurance, according to a study by the Insurance Research Council Conducted in 2018. The effects can be devastating, pushing people into bankruptcy, loss of income and mounting medical bills.
The Byers through Kahn sought compensation from The City of The Dalles, The Dalles Main Street Program, The Rotary Club of The Dalles and the Mid-Columbia Car Club. The Car and Rotary Clubs were eventually dropped from the suit, according to documents filed in Wasco County Circuit Court.
According to eye-witness accounts on Aug. 10, 2018, Madorin had been driving a souped-up 1955 Bel Air during the Neon Nights Cruise in downtown The Dalles. He had been spinning his tires and hitting the accelerator enough to lift the front tires off the ground on one occasion.
Madorin was awaiting a stoplight to change on Second Street where it intersects with Washington Street. Once the light changed, he hit the accelerator again and lost control of the vehicle, according to witnesses.
The car struck a parked Ford Expedition SUV, which was pushed over the curb and onto Craig Byers and his wife Jessica who were standing on the sidewalk near the parking lot of JCPenny. The Bel Air then flipped over during the accident and caught fire.
Byers was taken by LifeFlight to a Portland hospital where he was treated for a broken vertebra, fractured skull and moderate to severe brain damage.
Jessica Byers injured her right hip, her ankle and neck. She also suffered a fracture in her lower back, according to court testimony.
In the settlement, Craig Byers received $100,000 from The Dalles Main Street Program and $25,000 from the City of The Dalles. Jessica Byers received $30,000 from The Dalles Mainstreet Program and $10,000 from the City of The Dalles.
The City is insured through CityCounty Insurance Services, which paid the settlements, Mays said.
