Oregon – 4 people dead as drunk driver crashes into camp
Oregon – 4 people lost their jobs and 3 others were injured as a drunk driver crashed into a homeless camp in the Salem area. The driver was drunk 3 times more
Oregon – A drunk driver crashing into a homeless camp in the area of Salem killed four in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
The prosecutor said that the man behind the wheel was said to be drunk at the time of the crash. His blood-alcohol content level came out to be three times more than the legal driving limit.
The driver, 24-year-old Enrique Rodriguez was also injured and was taken to the hospital for treatment before the formal arrest.
It is stated that he was driving at the speed of 70 mph and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.26.
Enrique Rodriguez was charged by the prosecutor with four counts of first-degree manslaughter, third-degree assault, second-degree assault, and endangering lives recklessly.
The four people who lost their lives were identified as 54-year-old Joe Posada III, 29-year-old Rochelle Zamacona, 24-year-old Jowand Beck, and 21-year-old Luke Kagey.
Apart from the driver, 18-year-old Savannah Miller and 43-year-old Derrick Hart were injured in the incident and were still in the hospital receiving treatment.
According to the police, two people died at the spot when police reached the scene around 2 am while the other two deceased succumbed to death in the hospital.
Homeless camps surged across major cities of the United States of America during the coronavirus pandemic when inflation was at its peak because of unemployment.
The homeless camps have spiraled in many places, as the situation goes out of control making the residents of these places call out to the government in frustration.
The government has started to take stricter measures in removing these homeless camps ending the usage of tents in public spaces as living spaces.
The homeless crisis has increased in the past years where a large majority of the population has resorted to living in camps “unsheltered” or unfortunately sleeping outside in the open. The tragic death of 4 people in Salem, Oregon because of drunk driving has started the debate once again regarding the homeless camps and that they should be eradicated once and for all, urging the government to come up with a solution for the poverty crisis in the country.