Court docs: Wrong-way semi driver says he felt the effects of alcohol
PORTLAND, Ore. – According to court documents, the truck driver who police say was driving the wrong way on the Glenn Jackson Bridge and caused a crash admitted to police he shouldn't have been on the road.
Kenneth Burgess, 49, declined to comment on what happened Wednesday morning as he left a court hearing after bailing out of jail.
Court documents show just how drunk authorities say Burgess was when the big rig he was driving plowed nearly head-on into an oncoming car Monday morning on the Interstate 205 bridge over the Columbia River.
A probable cause affidavit for Burgess' arrest says "... Burgess stumbled and struggled to keep his balance while standing."
Burgess also failed a field sobriety test. It showed he had a blood alcohol level of .15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit for most drivers let alone a commercial truck driver.
The affidavit also says “... Burgess admitted he should not have been driving and that he felt the effects of the alcohol he consumed."
Katherine Emerson of Vancouver, whose car was hit by the oncoming truck, suffered only bruises and cuts from broken glass. She's recovering at home and is still trying to get over the shock of the collision that, incredibly, left her with no major injuries.
One detail not identified in the court documents was where Burgess might have been drinking before the crash.
After bailing out of jail, the court ordered Burgess to stay with his parents in Klickitat County until his next court appearance scheduled for April 26.
Police investigate the scene of the accident on the Glenn Jackson Bridge Monday March 18, 2013 where they say Kenneth E. Burgess was intoxicated when he drove the wrong way on the I-205 bridge at smashed nearly head-on with a car.
no - there is something more wrong with him than this. He didn't step on the brakes for a long distance of going the wrong way. Most drunk people who are stumbling around, still have the judgment to sit down and stop moving.
WHY IS HE OUT ON BAIL??? Sorry for shouting, but this guy makes me so furious!! What incredible irresponsibility, and all he can say is that he shouldn't have been driving??
Hey truckers out there-isn't the blood alcohol level for cdl .04?
@tally IN a private automobile, yes. In a commercial vehicle, the limit is 0.
What kind of car was Ms. Emerson driving? Was this ever identified? It's amazing she wasn't critically injured, or even killed!Â
@washcomom 2002 red Honda Civic. They must make them really sturdy!!
@lorivance @washcomom Thank you! I am truly amazed that she only had scratches and bruising. That car needs to be given back to Honda so they can see how great it worked.Â
@washcomom @lorivance Definitely!
This guy is ugly LOL. He should suffer as did the innocent he hurt! YOU ARE A LOSER!! Big loser. Alomost a KILLER too!!! TWT, hmmmmm. Be careful when you are driving in the close proximity of these trucks!! Any big rig. Some drive long haul and have to amp up some how!!! Booze, uppers etc...some false reprt in there 8 hour a day log...
Stay with his parents!!!??? Really??? At 49 years old??? Oh-oh. Big spanky coming.
@Old29Â And stay out of the liquor cabinet!
And just what part of Driving a Semi Drunk was a Good Idea?? In some parts of the world he would have just been Shot for being this Stupid!
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@Master Bashum You are a brave man Master Bashum, it's never easy flying against a sky filled with fussbuzzards. I too shudder wondering how I got home after some of those HS keggars, especially after waking up in my bed the next morning covered in vomit and the baked beans.
@Master Bashum Everyone does it (except me).
This fool should go to AA and get serious about getting his life back from his addiction. MAN UP, stop being a chump for alcohol! You need to get your pride back, if you're man enough.
@OCJohn Maybe it was the first time he ever drank. How do you know he is addicted?
DUII should be changed to Attempted Murder.
20 years at hard labor might actually get some of these idiots to change their ways.
That poor lady that landed in the hospital felt the effects of the alcohol too.
They are called blind spots people. Maybe she was just passing another vehicle that she could not see over or around and made a lane change at just the wrong moment. The video clearly shows the first car he missed was in a blind spot with a truck. I think he should be charged with attempted homicide also! He knew he should not have been behind the wheel.
@KCÂ Maybe the victim and her family should get a chance to sit with the guy in an enclosed room (when the victim's family is ready to do so)...
I keep wondering how that woman driving the car did not see this truck coming at her and do an evasive maneuver to avoid the collision. That bridge is well lit up and three lanes, plus shoulder parking. I have always wondered why folks cant see oncoming headlights coming at them and take the necessary precautions and do defensive driving
@Whitehawk it can look like an optical illusion til you are close.
@Whitehawk In addition to the comments by KC and OODA...  There is a slight rise to the bridge in several places.  It is possible, especially based on the bridge design, that she didn't see the truck until it was literally right in front of her.
I don't know why the billboards weren't turned on to at least alert drivers to a potential hazard, though, since they knew this guy had been driving for quite a distance the wrong way (it didn't even need to say on I-205, it could have said that a wrong way vehicle had been spotted in the Portland area and drivers are urged to be cautious). Â That would have, at least, minimized some of the shock the deer in the headlights thing did to her.
Classic deer in the headlights. Your not used to seeing a truck comeing at you in your lane on the freeway, and its hard to react.
@Whitehawk Just maybe she had nowhere to go. It;s not like he was creeping along. From the video he was moving at a pretty good clip.
.15 BAC? Â Lightweight....
@Fake Pilot Especially for someone who's had at least one prior DUI (http://www.kptv.com/story/21669139/wrong-way-semi-driver).  It has to be more -- he has to have had a death wish, been on other drugs, had a mental health crisis, had a medical crisis, or something!  It wasn't that long ago that many states had 15% as their top capacity of NOT being considered legally under the influence.
@CTWU @Fake Pilot 15% BAC and still breathing would be an accomplishment on its own.
@Oregon7812 @CTWU and yet in the 1980s in Texas that was exactly what the legal limit was...
I would be interested to learn just how or where this big truck could get on the wrong side of an interstate bridge?
Where could he get on the interstate backwards without it being a real effort?Â
@erudite If he left the troutdale truck stop, he could have taken an immediate left.
@Ron @erudite @Ron @erudite That ramp makes since. I didn't see the video or other reports to know he was also on 84. Boggles the mind.
@eruditeÂ
It's not that hard to do, and once you've gotten in the wrong place (on a bridge!) it's pretty hard to find a place to fix it.Â
@erudite It's called an off ramp...
Lots and lots of people drive on that interstate at all hours of the day. In my wildest dreams I would never imagine, let alone be prepared for, the image of this public menace coming straight for me - as this drunken trucker made the intentional decision to drive the wrong war in a deadly trailer truck.Â
You sir, drugged yourself up with an intoxicant and then chose to get behind the wheel of a semi truck. And the end result of that choice of yours - was the near death of an innocent human being.Â
Shame on you, Kenneth Burgess. You are public menace #1. Attempting murdering public menace #1.Â
@englishdaisy Why call him "Sir" ( a sign of respect) when he behaved like such an irresponsible lout? It makes no sense.
@gofigure @englishdaisy Better to call him knucklehead rather than sir.
I want to know what kind of car she was driving that she walked away with only scratches and bruises, I think it's my next purchase.
@PJaeger It has been reported in the OregonLive website that she was driving a red 2002 Honda Civic. I've actually contacted Honda to see if they might offer her a new car in exchange for her story to use as an ad.  If I needed a car, I'd certainly consider one after seeing that she survived this type of accident!
@CTWU @PJaeger I just found your post about the car make and model. Thanks for including that.Â
@CTWU Great idea, hopefully Honda will come through on that one. My daughter drives the same car, I suddenly feel better about that. Â
Saturn?
@PJaeger Me too. I still don't understand how Emerson walked away from this accident - I mean just the sheer physics involved. Has anyone here heard/read about how she was protected even with this level of damage? Was she thrown clear or something? It's mind boggling...
What a crazy thing to happen.. In no way do I want to blame the victim, but why would you continue to drive head on into a truck traveling the wrong way... Maybe I'm missing something, but I would have pulled over... I am however happy this woman walked away from that, it is unbelievable...
@dougrpdx Which way do you pull over? How do you know which way he is going to go? What if you pull over and he swerves right into you anyway?
@pdx10 @dougrpdx Plus, who's to say she didn't have cars on either side of her preventing her from changing lanes?  Not that she wanted to hit the truck, I'm sure.  Also, travelling at freeway speeds, you don't have a lot of time to mentally process what you see happening in front of you.  She was probably even a bit in shock as in "Is that guy coming at me?" and, after finishing that thought, she was hit.  Pretty fast to have to make a life or death decision.
@dougrpdx The original article had a commentator's post that said her sister had swerved out of the truck's way seconds before the truck collided with the car behind her. Seems like Ms. Emerson was not scanning traffic conditions beyond the car in front of her? Â
@dougrpdx doug - are you on something? You are blaming the victim? Were you there. Did you witness a videotape of this all playing out right in front of you. Who's account are you relying on when you suggest she was all but trying to kill herself - or aim her car for this wrong way driving DRUNK AS A SKUNK in a semi truck.Â
Doug - get a grip. How can you even suggest she tried to kill herself on that interstate. Unless you know what actions she took or did not take - I cannot fathom how you dare to judge her.Â
At age 49 the Court ordered Burgess to stay with his parents? Some people never grow up. Given the type of decisions this guy makes at his age, maybe his parents should consider late-term abortion. This idiot is very lucky he didn't kill someone. His bail should have been set at a level where he would have to sit in jail until his next hearing.Â
@I812I think there's been too much time for 'late term abortion' but that our lawmakers could do worse than making laws for retroactive abortions...
@I812Â
It could be that he doesn't have a permanent address in the area, so they are making him stay there so that they know where to locate him.
@I812 Right right right.. I was wondering why there is not a " do not consume any alcohol " order put in place..Â