Driver who broke cyclist’s jaw ordered to pay $50K

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An arbitrator has awarded $50,000 to a bicyclist who suffered a broken jaw after an angry driver stepped out of his car and punched him as the two stopped at a light in Portland.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Monday that Seth Jacobson filed a lawsuit against Gabriel Smith after police declined to write a report about the July 2016 incident.

The encounter unfolded when Jacobson and Smith argued about who had the right of way. The two cursed at each other, then continued up West Burnside Street.

Jacobson thought that was it, until he stopped at a red light and Smith got out of his SUV and punched him.

Smith told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he was acting in “self-defense.”

Last week, the civil case closed — with arbitrator Leonard Berman awarding Jacobson the $50,000 — the most possible in arbitration under Oregon law.

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