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COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE, OR (KPTV) — The family of a Washington man killed by a tree in the Columbia River Gorge reached a settlement with the state of Oregon over his death.
The state of Oregon paid $150,000 to 27-year-old Jorge Figueroa’s family.
According to court documents, Figueroa was visiting the Columbia River Gorge from the Seattle-area with his family on June 28, 2015 when a large portion of a tree along Highway 30 fell onto the vehicle he was driving. Figueroa was killed instantly.
Court documents state that Figueroa’s wife was seriously hurt. His mother-in-law and one of his daughters were also in the vehicle, but were not hurt.
Figueroa’s family filed a wrongful death and negligence suit against the Oregon Department of Transportation in June 2017 and sought $2.2 million in damages.
The suit filed states that ODOT had a duty to maintain trees along Highway 30, and the tree that fell onto the vehicle “was in a significant state of decay.”
The case was dismissed in Multnomah County Circuit Court after the settlement was reached.
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