Portland approves paying $125K to man hurt in police chase

PORTLAND — A cab driver seriously hurt after being hit while a Portland police officer chased a motorist the wrong way down Interstate 84 will receive a $125,000 settlement from the city.

The Portland City Council voted Wednesday to pay Ethiopia Amdino to settle a claim brought by his attorney Phillip C. Gilbert, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. They sought over $260,000 in reimbursement for medical expenses, lost income and other damages, city senior claims analyst Jessica Bird told the council.

According to police 59-year-old Christopher Cannard, hit another car on April 19, 2018 and then drove away. Then-Portland officer Alfonso Valadez Jr. later saw Cannard’s vehicle and chased him onto I-84.

Bird said Wednesday that Cannard and Valadez were heading west on the freeway’s eastbound lanes when Cannard crashed head-on with Amdino, about 30 seconds after the police started the chase. Valadez violated police bureau policy by continuing the chase, Bird said.

The collision killed Cannard and left Amdino with head, neck, chest and back injuries that required over a year of treatment. He also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Valadez quit as a Portland officer last September and state records show his police license is inactive. Police records show the bureau’s police review board recommended in February 2019 that Valadez be fired and decertified by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.