Ben Ramsdell in April.(Photo by Elly Blue) The Oregonian reported earlier this week that Ben Ramsdell, the man who was seriously injured after being intentionally run down by Johnny Escwheiler on SE Clinton nearly two years ago, will receive a $100,000 from Eschweiler’s insurance company. Escwheiler — who underwent a temporal lobotomy at age 25 … Read more
A story published online by KGW yesterday contains incorrect information about the SE Clinton Road Rage case that are leading some Portlanders to get the wrong idea about what happened. These inaccuracies — one of which they are making again, even after they changed it when I brought it to their attention in 2007 — … Read more
Eschweiler in the courtroom today.(Photos © Elly Blue) At the Multnomah County Courthouse today, Johnny Eschweiler waived his right to a trial by jury and was found guilty except for insanity on two counts of assault for using his motor vehicle as a weapon in an August, 2007 road rage incident. Eschweiler was committed to … Read more
The block of SE Clinton wherethe road rage incident occurred.(Photo © J. Maus) Back in 2007, we covered the story of Johnny Eschweiler, the man who intentionally used his car to strike two men on bikes in a road rage incident on SE Clinton Street. Shortly after the incident, victim Ben Ramsdell told BikePortland that … Read more
The Oregonian on July 15th, 2008. KGW reports that James Millican, who ran down and then drove with Jason Rehnberg on his hood after Rehnberg (who was on his bike) told him to slow down, has been sentenced to 45 days in jail. Along with jail, the 21-year-old Millican must do 160 hours of community … Read more
The following story was shared by Lynne Cuevas and posted on the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) email list (emphasis mine): “I was on the newly chip sealed Helvetia rd yesterday riding along in the center of the lane trying to find the smooth spots in the road as there was no traffic at the … Read more
The stretch of SE Clinton where the incident occurred.(Photo © J. Maus) Johnny Eschweiler, the man who intentionally drove his car into Ben Ramsdell as he biked down SE Clinton Street nearly one year ago, has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Escweiler was initially charged with three counts of Assault … Read more
From The City of Tualatin (emphasis mine): “On Tuesday August 12, 2008 at 6:39pm, Tualatin Police and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue responded to a report of an assault between 3 males on SW Boones Ferry Rd and SW Ibach Street. Several citizens called 911 reporting that 2 men, in a truck, were beating a … Read more
Screenshot from Newsweek.com. It’s been almost three weeks since an Oregonian story about a alcohol-related traffic altercation was blown up into a “bikes vs. cars” war and now Newsweek has taken the bait. A story published yesterday in their National Affairs section is ominously titled, Road Rage in Portland: Bikes Cars Clash and Pedal vs. … Read more
The media onslaught inspired by the recent headline–grabbing road rage incidents in Portland continues. Even Oregon Public Broadcasting’s daily Think Out Loud program decided to spend a few minutes of their show today talking about it.
Graphic that accompanied the essay in Momentum Magazine.(Illustration by Chris Bentzen) The always interesting Momentum Magazine (based in Vancouver, BC) has published a timely essay in their July/August issue. Bike Rage by Charles Montgomery is a provocative look into the psychological, cultural and infrastructural origins of road rage. Montgomery bases his insights on the research … Read more
James F. Millican A 21 year-old man has been arrested after a road rage altercation in Southeast Portland last night. A Portland Police Bureau press release says that James F. Millican, who was driving a Ford Escort, chased down 37 year-old Jason Rehnberg after Rehnberg “yelled at Millican to slow down.” Millican has been arrtested … Read more
Comment of the Week: We need more public restrooms downtown