Driver indicted, 8 years after Gresham crash

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A driver sentenced to prison for a crash that put a pregnant woman in a near-vegetative state has been indicted on a manslaughter charge following the victim’s death.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Cayla Wilson died in March, nearly eight years after suffering major brain damage in the crash. Her baby was delivered by emergency C-section and is being raised by Wilson’s parents.

The driver, Jack Dean Whiteaker, was high on methamphetamine when he struck Wilson’s car in Gresham. Already serving an 11-year prison term, he could serve additional time if convicted of manslaughter.

Wilson’s family sued after the crash, contending that Whiteaker’s probation officer and a police officer who encountered him hours before the crash should not have allowed him to roam free. The city of Portland and Clackamas County agreed to pay $9.3 million.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com