In a recent turn of unfortunate events in Milwaukie, a driver now faces several charges after a hit-and-run incident resulted in injuries. Around 9 p.m. on Saturday, local police received a call to the 6700 block of Southeast Harmony Road, where two vehicles had collided. A report from KOIN confirms that, following the initial crash, the driver, identified by police as Cardona, left the scene, leaving the injured party behind.
According to accounts from KGW, witnesses informed police that the driver who caused the crash was fleeing. Law enforcement officers were able to locate Cardona’s heavily damaged vehicle near Southeast Linwood Avenue, and Southeast Harmony Road, yet despite their efforts to stop him, Cardona continued to drive his compromised vehicle until hitting another car, this time, parked in an apartment complex parking lot.
The chaotic chase concluded when police managed to block Cardona, who then attempted to evade arrest on foot before being rapidly apprehended. Officers believe that he caused the initial collision by steering into oncoming traffic, clashing head-on with the other driver. The victim of the crash was promptly rushed to a local hospital to receive care for significant, but non-life-threatening injuries.
OregonLive reports that further investigations confirmed Cardona’s responsibility for the distressing series of events. Now in custody, he faces charges of DUII, fleeing from the scene of an accident, and multiple hit-and-runs. The repercussions of his actions resonate beyond the charges as the local community grapples with the dangerous implications of impaired driving and its potential to upend lives in an instant.
