What started as a late-night tow at a Gresham apartment complex has turned into a nearly $1 million courtroom fight. Clenton Jenkins III says a tow-truck driver ran over his leg on May 1, 2024, after he tried to stop the truck from taking his car, and he is now suing the company and its driver in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
In his civil complaint, Jenkins accuses Elite Towing and driver Danny Closser of deliberately rolling over his foot and lower leg. He says the collision left him with bone-marrow edema, possible broken bones, and a financial hit that includes hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and lost wages.
What the lawsuit says
According to the complaint, Jenkins approached the tow truck and asked the driver to stop. The suit alleges the truck then backed up and ran over his foot, and that the driver later detached Jenkins’ car and drove away, as reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
The filing lists more than $100,000 in medical bills and claims lost earnings of more than $150,000. All told, Jenkins is asking for nearly $1 million in damages for medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Police records cited in the lawsuit show Closser was not charged criminally in connection with the May 2024 incident, according to the same report.
Towing rules at state and city levels
The dispute lands squarely in the middle of Oregon’s tangled towing rules, which split authority between state and local governments. State law sets limits on private-property towing. Under the Oregon Revised Statutes, including ORS 98.854, towing companies generally must get authorization from a property owner or agent before removing a vehicle and must keep signed authorizations on file…