Oregon police credit semi truck driver with stopping suspected intoxicated motorist involved in hit-and-run

Police in Eugene, Oregon, say that a semi truck driver assisted in stopping a suspected intoxicated motorist after a hit-and-run crash on New Year’s Eve.

Shortly after 2 p.m. on December 31, the Eugene Police Department (EPD) responded to W. 6th Avenue and Blair Boulevard for a multi-vehicle crash.

Police say that three vehicles were westbound on W. 6th Avenue where the far left lane merges to the right.

EPD describes the crash and the aftermath:

“Porsha Naree Mueller, age 34, later identified as the driver of a Mazda, was in the merge lane and merged into a tractor trailer semi and struck the front left corner of the semi. The semi swerved to the right when it was struck and was forced to the right, and into a Ford Explorer’s lane. The driver of the Ford Explorer sped ahead of the semi. Mueller is reported to have merged in front of the semi and was behind the Ford Explorer and rear-ended it. The Ford Explorer’s driver pulled into an auto repair business to exchange info, but Mueller left and the tractor trailer was following it. 

The semi-truck’s 31-year-old driver followed Mueller then slowly merged her car to a stop and carefully moved the car into the guard rail so she could not leave.“

Police said that Mueller was arrested and booked into Lane County Jail on multiple charges, including DUII, two counts of Hit and Run, Reckless Driving, and two counts of Reckless Endangering.