ER doctor fatally struck pedestrian, drove around victim and went to work minutes later

A 59-year-old exigency country doc successful Oregon volition walk much than a twelvemonth down bars aft helium struck a pedestrian with his SUV, drove astir the fatally injured victim, and past went to his displacement astatine a adjacent hospital.

Marion County Circuit Court Judge Courtland Geyer connected Tuesday ordered Dr. Kenneth Kolarsky to serve 13 months successful a authorities correctional installation successful transportation with the decease of 44-year-old Nicolas Hernandez-Mendoza.

Geyer handed down the condemnation aft Kolarsky pleaded blameworthy connected April 21 to 1 number of attempted nonaccomplishment to execute the duties of a operator to injured persons. Following his incarceration, the erstwhile doc volition beryllium required to service an further 3 years of supervised release.

During Tuesday's sentencing hearing, the justice criticized the seasoned doc for leaving a "community subordinate fallen and successful the dark" and acting with an "absence of dignity," Portland NBC affiliate KGW reported.

The fatal brushwood occurred connected the nighttime of Dec. 26, 2024, arsenic Kolarsky was driving from his Portland location to Silverton Hospital.

Prosecutors said Hernandez-Mendoza had activated crosswalk information lights earlier stepping onto Highway 99E successful Woodburn, The Oregonian reported. Investigators accidental Kolarsky struck the victim, drove astir his unconscious body, and continued to his workplace, wherever helium was seen entering conscionable 20 minutes aboriginal to enactment a afloat nighttime shift.

Hernandez-Mendoza was transported to a section infirmary with a breached cervix and pelvis, but died during exigency country the pursuing day. While prosecutors noted that rainfall and acheronian covering apt contributed to the archetypal impact, they emphasized that the transgression behaviour began erstwhile Kolarsky fled.

"If the suspect had stayed connected scene, determination would person been nary charges," Deputy District Attorney Tyler Hopkins told the court, according to a study by The Statesman Journal.

In the weeks pursuing the crash, Kolarsky allegedly took steps to conceal the harm to his vehicle.

Prosecutors stated that Kolarsky's woman drove the SUV to Minnesota, claiming she deed a cervid on the way, and that Kolarsky paid currency to person a dent astir the size of a idiosyncratic repaired. Detectives yet identified the conveyance done surveillance footage and arrested the doc successful May 2025.

In tribunal filings, Kolarsky's defence reportedly blamed the lapse successful judgement connected "brain fog" caused by a antecedently undiagnosed ferritin deficiency and exhaustion from repeated shifts. Kolarsky addressed the court, stating, "I'm ashamed and I'm disappointed successful the determination I made that day."

Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy highlighted the irony of the situation, noting it was "especially violative erstwhile it is committed by a nonrecreational who takes an oath to 'do nary harm.'"

Kolarsky, whose aesculapian licence has been inactive since June 2025 pursuing a announcement of "unprofessional oregon dishonorable conduct," settled a civilian suit with the victim's property for $300,000. He began serving his condemnation instantly pursuing the hearing.