Oregon Mother Gets Three Years in Prison After DUI Crash That Killed Her 5-Year-Old Daughter

A 29-year-old Portland mother, whose five-year-old daughter died in a car accident, admitted to investigators that she had smoked marijuana and consumed a shot of tequila and two malt liquors before driving.

She Will Never Be Able to Drive Again

Amber Gonzalez-Riddle was sentenced to three years in federal prison for driving the vehicle that claimed her daughter’s life and seriously injured two occupants of another car. She has lost her driver’s license for life.

The accident occurred in November 2022 when Gonzalez-Riddle collided head-on with another vehicle after crossing the center line on Highway 58.

Her two young daughters were in the back, and her boyfriend was in the front passenger seat. According to court records, neither the five-year-old nor her three-year-old sister was correctly strapped into the seat. The younger child sustained injuries in the accident.

The occupants of the second vehicle involved in the head-on collision sustained serious injuries. Their vehicle burst into flames after the police had evacuated them.

She Traveled at Speeds Up to 80 mph With No Brake or Headlights

According to witness reports, Gonzalez-Riddle traveled at speeds of up to 80 mph and overtook in no-passing zones without brakes or headlights. When she was stopped, law enforcement officers found evidence of alcohol and marijuana in the vehicle.

While awaiting trial, court records show that Gonzalez-Riddle entered a marijuana shop wearing an ankle monitor.

In her initial trial last April, Gonzalez-Riddle was found guilty on two counts of reckless endangerment, and in November, she pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, two counts of third-degree assault, and DUII.