OLIVEIRA STIFFING VICTIMS OF VAN HIT BY HIS UNINSURED CAR?

By Juan Montoya
Is it true that the owners of a van struck from behind by a car owned by State Rep. Rene Oliveira last November while it was traveling along the frontage road near Charley Clark Nissan auto dealership have been stiffed by the politico becase hough the car was uninsured at the time of the collision?

Reports from sources close to the victims of the Nov. 9, 2011 crash indicate that the two people in the 1999 Ford Windstar was struck from behind at a high rate of speed by a 2009 Chrysler PT cruiser operated by one Guadalupe Molina, identified as an employee at the UTB-TSC media department, have not been compensated for damages to their vehicle or for the medical treatment they required as a result of the injuries they sustained.

Accident and arrest reports filed on by arresting officer Everardo Longoria (city commissioner Rick Longoria's brother) indicate that at about 9:48 p.m. police were called to a serious accident involving two cars on the frontage road next to Charlie Clarks' Nissan.
When officers arrived at the accident scene, they found the van with heavy damage to the rear parked in the grassy area between the expressway far right lane and the frontage road in front of the Nissan dealership.

A woman passenger complained that she was hurting as a result of the impact, but did not require ambulance transport. After ascertaining that the passengers in the van were not seriously hurt, officers walked over to the Chrysler and found an the driver was uncooperative and refusing to emerge from the car merely stating that she "knew her rights."
After getting her license information, officers bodily removed her from the wrecked car which had traveled over the curb, knocked down a fenced at the dealership and almost struck a demonstration car on a ramp inside the car dealer's.
A check of the vehicle's VIN indicated that the car belonged to State rep. Rene Oliveira, who was not in the vehicle. Additionally, on the box corresponding to "proof of financial responsibility" (auto insurance) the "no" box is crossed out. Apparently, it was not insured at the time of the accident.

However, relatives of the woman said that even though the officers at the scene told her she could receive medical treatment at the time, she found out later that the car was not insured. They say that at least two law firms in Brownsville have distanced themselves from the lawsuit she was going to file against Oliveira and that at least one told her that the alleged driver (Molina) could not be sued because she was enrolled in a rehabilitation program.

Efforts to contact the woman who was driving the van at the time of the accident have been unsuccessful.

However, sources say that her van remains totalled from the collision and that she now has medical bills that she cannot pay.

"The best thing that she can do is to hire legal help from outside South Texas," said a local attorney. "You will find that many local lawyers will shy away from filing against Oliveira because of his political position and influence."

Meanwhile, people close to the victims are hoping that Oliveira or his legal representatives will step forward and assume their responsibility so they won't be force to incur further costs pursuing a legal remedy.

"They should do the right thing for these people," said a relative.