Every driver has had a moment where nature called at the worst possible time. Usually that just means an uncomfortable few miles to the next exit. For one tow truck driver in North Portland, it apparently meant something far more serious: leaving a vehicle unsecured on the shoulder of Interstate 5 while he hopped a barrier to relieve himself.
The result, according to a new lawsuit reported by Oregon Live, was a vehicle rolling backward into live traffic and a three-motorcycle pileup that left at least one rider with injuries serious enough to end his ability to work as he used to.
Matthew Christian Powell, a motorcycle shop owner from Sweet Home, is seeking $3.2 million in damages from the driver, his employer Hillsboro Towing Service, and the company’s two owners. Powell says he and two riding companions were headed south on I-5 when the vehicle the tow truck was supposed to be hauling rolled into their path, leaving them no room to react…