Two injured after falling from moving pickup in Dune City, driver arrested
Two people were hospitalized after falling from a moving pickup on Pacific Avenue in Dune City. Deputies arrested the driver, Benjamin Robert Engler, on felony assault and DUII charges.
Two people were hurt after falling from the bed of a moving pickup truck on Pacific Avenue in Dune City, and the driver now faces felony charges.
Lane County sheriff’s deputies responded at about 4 p.m. May 30 to the 4600 block of Pacific Avenue, where investigators said two occupants were riding in the truck bed when they fell out during the crash. Both were taken to local area hospitals for treatment. Officials did not release the extent of their injuries, but the fact that each required hospital care shows this was more than a minor roadside mishap.
Deputies identified the driver as 49-year-old Benjamin Robert Engler of Dune City. He was arrested on charges of second-degree assault, DUII and reckless endangering, then lodged at the Lane County Jail. Under Oregon law, second-degree assault is a Class B felony, a charge that signals prosecutors believe the conduct caused serious physical harm or created the kind of risk that can bring major criminal consequences.
The case also highlights how dangerous truck-bed travel can be, especially when a vehicle is moving and the driver may be impaired. Oregon law generally prohibits anyone under 18 from riding on the external part of a vehicle, including a pickup bed, and the Oregon Driver Manual is meant to spell out road rules and safe driving practices for people behind the wheel. Even when the passengers are adults, the risks are obvious: there is little protection if the truck brakes hard, turns sharply or crashes.
Pacific Avenue is a main coastal corridor through this part of Lane County, which means a crash there can ripple beyond the people directly involved. A serious injury call brings deputies, ambulances and hospital transport, and it turns an ordinary stretch of road into a crime scene in a matter of minutes.
The sheriff’s office logged the case as news release 26-2668 on June 1. For Dune City and the wider coast, the message is blunt: riding loose in a pickup bed can turn a short trip into a felony case with injuries, jail time and lasting consequences.
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