Early this year two young women from the Gresham area were in Portland
having some fun. They knew they would be drinking, so they did the responsible
thing and did not drive. As they waited for their ride to pick them up,
a drunken, irresponsible person drove into them.
Brandi Butner and Rebecca Bray were out celebrating Butner’s 21st
birthday in Old Town when Brent Warstler ran into them. He allegedly had
three passengers in his pickup truck, he was speeding, he ran a red light,
and he was drunk. He killed Bray and seriously injured Butner. Butner
has endured two surgeries and is still in rehabilitation, and it is unclear
whether she will fully recover.
Butner is suing Warstler for $3 million, and others may be added to the
lawsuit, depending on what investigators discover about the establishments
that served Warstler (if Warstler was visible drunk, restaurants that
served him can be held responsible).
The lawsuit by Butner is just one of Warstler’s problems. He also
faces numerous criminal charges.