Driver charged after Franklin Boulevard rollover crash injures three

Franklin Winter Aurich III, 38, was charged with 10 counts after a two-vehicle collision at East 11th Avenue and Franklin Boulevard on April 3 that overturned a Ford Econoline van and sent three occupants of a Toyota Highlander to RiverBend Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The City of Eugene logged the crash as Case 26-04929 and emergency crews closed eastbound Franklin and nearby streets for more than an hour.

Dispatch and city records show the rollover was reported at about 5:09 p.m. on April 3 and officers took Aurich into custody at about 5:15 p.m. after bystanders restrained him at East 11th and Kincaid Street. Eugene Springfield Fire personnel treated patients at the scene; Aurich was transported to a hospital for evaluation and was later lodged in the Lane County Jail, where jail records show he remained at the time of reporting.

Public reports list the charges against Aurich as including driving under the influence of intoxicants, felony hit-and-run, three counts of second-degree assault, driving while suspended and reckless driving, among a total of 10 counts. Local television and city releases vary slightly on related counts — for example some outlets list reckless endangering or aggravated driving-while-suspended in addition to the assault and hit-and-run allegations — but the City of Eugene news release and arrest timeline are consistent across reports.

The collision produced immediate operational impacts. University of Oregon public safety issued an alert asking people to avoid the E. 11th and Franklin area and later sent an all-clear after the scene was cleared, and Lane Transit District representatives said eastbound buses on E. 11th toward Franklin were detoured or delayed while westbound service was largely unaffected. City records show traffic impacts lasted until about 6:41 p.m., with diversions reported around East Broadway Avenue and Alder Street and a noted detour affecting the Eugene Station at East 11th and Willamette.

This crash occurred on Franklin Boulevard, an arterial the City of Eugene has identified as high-crash and a focus of the Franklin Boulevard Transformation and Vision Zero programs. City materials note planned safety changes and a phased schedule, with Phase One listed as beginning in 2026 at the earliest. Regional reporting and city crash data placed 2024 as the deadliest year on Eugene roads, with a large share of serious crashes on multi-lane arterials like Franklin Boulevard.

Eugene Police framed the incident alongside a second DUII-related response that weekend, Case 26-04997, which involved an alleged eluding and crash with a juvenile lodged at Serbu. The department presented both incidents in an April 6 news release as part of ongoing impaired-driving enforcement activity.

Under Oregon law, the statutory hit-and-run provision is codified at ORS 811.705 and assault in the second degree at ORS 163.175; Oregon felony-classification rules show a Class B felony can carry a maximum prison term up to 10 years and a Class C felony up to 5 years. Prosecutors and defense counsel will proceed with standard criminal steps including arraignment and pretrial filings, while victims’ injury reports and charging documents will be central to any restitution or civil claims. The case and its timing are likely to renew local debate over enforcement and the pace of planned safety upgrades on the Franklin Boulevard corridor.