Motorcyclist, 66, killed in crash with SUV driven by teen
SHERWOOD, Ore. - A motorcyclist died in a crash that shut down Southwest Roy Rogers and Scholls-Sherwood roads Thursday night for about four hours, according to police.
Investigators said 66-year-old Dale Smith from King City was killed when a 15-year-old girl driving a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban went onto the shoulder, over-corrected, crossed the center line and hit Smith.
Witnesses say passers-by tried to revive Smith before medics arrived.
The teen, who is from Hubbard, was driving with a valid Oregon instruction permit at the time of the crash. There was a licensed driver and another passenger in the vehicle. They were not hurt.
A sergeant associated with the investigation into the crash said the Washington County District Attorney's Office will review the case and decide if the teen should be charged or cited.
There is no reason anyone should allow a very inexperienced driver to get behind the wheel of a vehicle this large. Â Most of the adults driving them have no business on the road, let alone kids. Â I feel sorry for the fifteen year old, but I hope whoever let her drive the suv realizes it was their fault, not the girl's.
A lot of experienced drivers may have had the same issue by over correcting. It was an accident...if the roles were reversed what would you be saying?
Gosh....a 66 year old killed by a 15 year old. Not a senior citizens fault for a change. Hope this gives a little bit of credence that older drivers (or bikers) shouldn't be ousted from owning a license. So sad for both families.
Dale was a nice, upbeat, generous man with a great sense of humor. It is hard to believe he is gone. RIP, Dale. You will be greatly missed.
Just not right, RIP
Very, very sad. I'm sure both families are suffering greatly today and will for a long time to come. Truly so tragic.
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 @on shing dao It wasn't a cyclist that was hit and killed, it was a motorcyclist.Â
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Have some sympathy, will ya?
 @washcomom Oh I get it. It's ok for cyclists to be killed. Who cares about them? The father  of the Blazers rookie center was killed in a bicycle accident too? But I guess that's OK too right because he was, after all, riding a bike.
@on shing dao @washcomom  Missed your Prozac this morning?
 @washcomom No, I didn't delete my comment. Playing sad and consoling all you want; your sympathy is a lie. You probably have already written bitter comments on another story.
 @on shing dao Don't be such a dork. You deleted your comment, as you were mistaken on what kind of "cyclist' was killed. No - it's not ok that a cyclist, or motorcyclist, is killed like this.Â
What a terrible tragedy. Prayers for peace and strength go out to everyone involved.
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My 15-yr-old daughter is also learning to drive and we had a conversation while she was driving last weekend about this same situation. We talked about what to do if the car drifted off the side of the pavement and why to not over correct. But talking about it is much different than experiencing the situation first hand and driving in the dark is much different than driving during the day. She is not ready yet for driving at night, but at some point this winter we will need to practice that as well. (Sigh) Life is too often short and unfair. I feel terrible for both families.
What a terrible, tragic event for all involved...  I remember learning to drive on Hwy 101 in the Marin Co - SF Bay Area; all of us, as we turned 15-1/2, took Driver Ed / Training in HS, of course, but our practical "road experience" was right there on the freeway and in The City.  Something like this could just as easily have happened to any one of us...as Ralph Cramden  posted; actual driving is the way we learn; you can only learn so much on "simulators"...and "learning to drive" is really a life-long experience.
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Rest in peace, Mr Smith... condolences go to your family and friends for their loss... Â
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I hope that this young driver will be able to get whatever help she might need to deal with this event...  Sometimes, you do everything "by the book", but bad things happen anyway... much harder for a new driver to avoid, because they just don't yet have the practical experience and reflexive responses  to fall back on when something unexpected happens...Â
a tragic accident I am sure the girl feels bad too. at least she stayed at the scene and tried to get help. I think this was a tragic accident. My condolences to the family . And I can't imagine the hell the teen is going through either.
I was out riding my Harley last night. So sorry to hear of a fellow biker losing his life. My condolences to ALL involved. The man's family lost a father and the young driver and her family were also traumatized. Sad all around.
Knowing those roads, and knowing how narrow they are, this just makes me really sad. The edges of Roy Rogers Road are high against what little shoulder there is, so I see how the startling over-correction could happen. This is just sad...all the way around.Â
This is so sad on so many levels.
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An innocent person died which is always sad for all involved.
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The girl driving was doing it right. She was learning to drive and had a licensed driver with her. The only way to learn to drive is to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and practice driving. There isn't any other way. There are simulators but those are not that realistic. Even if they are used at some point the learner has to get behind the wheel of a real vehicle and drive on real streets with real traffic.
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There are no winners in this incident.
 @RalphCramden Hey Ralph, regarding simulators....you know, I've played a lot of driving games and they absolutely help more than I thought. I was cut off so badly one day on a busy highway I got my car in a near sideways skid and because I played some decent driving games (with pretty good physics) I pulled myself out of it without over correcting, it was a perfect recovery and I 100% thank the gaming gods for that reaction and skill.
 @deejm2112Â
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I can see where video simulators can sharpen reaction skills but it still isn't real life.
 @RalphCramden Ahhh yes, but it very well might have saved mine.
 @RalphCramden She was "doing it right?" What by not being able to control her vehicle and killing someone? Whoever the "adult" was in the vehicle was worthless as well. Too much vehicle for inexperienced driver and now someone is dead because of it.Â
leapfrogger, how do you know what the person with the girl did or did not do? All people learn how to drive, some continue learning on a daily basis. Accidents happen to experienced drivers also. This was an unfortunate accident that happened.
Both families are affected by this. I have seen seasoned drivers lose control, and wreck. I have seen unseasoned drivers make very good decisions and avoid accidents.
 @leapfroggerÂ
Maybe it was the only vehicle they had. Plus a Suburban is really a good vehicle to learn with. It has a long wheelbase and is pretty stable when traveling at freeway speeds. Small cars with short and narrow wheel bases are dangerous.
 @leapfrogger  @RalphCramden I actually with both of you 2 (except for the worthless comment), She did everything right until the accident of course, but I can't think of a worse vehicle to learn on than a Suburban, very easy to drift over and over correct.
15 is too young to be driving, in that area, in an urban-assault-vehicle. smooth move, parents.
Arnold, a lot of people started learning to drive at 15. They have a valid learners permit. Nothing wrong at all on the part of the parents or the driver. Accidents happen. Now if it had been reversed as a teenager on the motorcycle and the gentleman driving the SUV, would you be blaming him due to his age? I would imagine you would
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 @arnold ~  very snarky comment, arnold... guess a little compassion would be asking too much, huh...
This is a tragedy all the way around, for the victim and his family and the young driver and passengers in his car. I can only imagine the pain and shock they are going through, and this young person will possibly be bearing a burden of guilt for a long time to come. My prayers go out to all of them, such a sad, sad situation.
Dale is my friends dad so sad:( R.I.P Mr SmithÂ
Hi Gary, can we contact you today to ask you about Mr. Smith? We'd like to do a story about him. Thanks
 @Valerie Hurst KATU Dale, lost his mom, just a few days before being killed. The family is burying 2 this week. Prayers for them.
@Valerie Hurst KATU Tacky. Let the family and friends grieve. Call them in a few weeks.
 @Finally  @Valerie Why is it tacky? Some people take comfort from being able to talk about the goodness of their friend or loved one. Everyone grieves in different ways, let the friends & family decide if it's "tacky" and myob.
My condelences, I'm so sorry for your loss.Â
Oh my gosh. How tragic. That whole area is NO place for a 15 yr to be learning to drive!! RIP Mr. Smith ⤠I feel sorry for the young girl that will now have to live with this for the rest of her life.
 @Sara She obviously was not ready to be driving on a road like that or any road for that matter since she doesn't seem to know how to control a vehicle. Whoever the "adult" was in the vehicle wasn't doing a very good job at teaching to allow her to drive off the road like that.Â
leapfrogger, you seem to have some issues with what happened for some reason. If the roles were reversed, you would probably be saying the gentleman was too old to drive. I feel sorry for you
May Mr Smith RIP and may the young driver get some help getting through this traumatic situation.
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 @Mechanic Really? You feel this is the article to post a sarcastic comment? So not funny. This accident was tragic for all involved.
 @Kennyboy  @Mechanic Good think this is America and everyone is entitled to voice their opinions and if you don't like it that just too bad!
 @leapfrogger  @Mechanic Didn't say he didn't have a right to voice his opinion, I'm just saying he's a jerk for saying it. Â
 @Kennyboy The girl will be driving drunk in a couple of years anyways.
 @danoseknows I'm not the one with a South Park avatar. They don't care about it either. If they did the same thing on their show you would applaud it. As a matter of fact they already have.
@Mechanic That was a low blow. Do you feel better now Mr. Perfect? How about showing a little compassion, this kid is never going to be the same, and your comment doesn't help the families of both the victim and driver deal with this tragedy.
 @Kachina  @Mechanic What? So people can only have an opinion if it fits in with what you think people should be thinking and can only say the "PC" thing?Â
 @Kachina When do you ever show compassion?