Victim frustrated after driver gets 18 months for DUII crash into cyclist in Washington Co.

WASHINGTON COUNTY Ore. (KPTV) - On Friday morning in a Washington County courtroom, Juan Ignacio Arteaga-Raymundo pled guilty to assault, reckless endangering and DUII for the March 18, 2024, crash that left cyclist Reed Smith fighting for his life.

“It was an emotional day, it’s been a very painful road, I can barely walk across the street and they’re pushing me to the max,” Smith said.

Retirement was supposed to be the golden days for the northwest Oregon resident, who’s also an avid outdoorsman and bike rider, but instead, his first spring bike ride last year turned into a nightmare at 185th Avenue and Bany Road in Aloha.

“The accident was over a year ago, and while I’ve been having all these doctors’ appointments and rehab, he’s been doing whatever he wants with his family,” Smith said.

On Friday, the defendant was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison, along with a suspended license for the next five years. A decision the family and judge said in the courtroom was light but reflects the sentencing guidelines that were agreed to in the plea deal.

“I don’t believe in an eye for an eye, but I do think it should have been stronger and longer in prison,” Smith said.

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During the past year, Smith has been going through what he says is a grueling sentence of his own after the crash left him with countless broken bones.

A recovery he says has cost more than $1 million in medical bills so far, with several more surgeries to go, including the amputation of his left arm. All because of what his wife, LaFawn, calls a reckless decision behind the wheel – that has changed their lives forever.

“He’ll be able to walk around, take care of himself, and I’ll still be helping him shower, making his food, helping him eat, all the things that were stripped of him, his basic dignity, because someone chose to be drunk and drive,” LaFawn Smith said.

Arteaga-Raymundo asked Smith and his family for forgiveness before Judge Bucher accepted the deal and announced the sentence but, on this day, many surrounding the victim say they wonder if justice was truly served,

“For the defendant to get 18 months after all the time and money we spent, doesn’t feel very balanced,” LaFawn Smith said.

“He chose to drink, drive, do drugs, everything is on him,” Smith said.

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