Oregon Nonprofit Faces $50 Million Lawsuit Over Crash That Killed Troutdale Family

A $50 million wrongful death suit has been filed in the Multnomah County Circuit Court by relatives of the Troutdale family of four who tragically lost their lives in a head-on collision while traveling to central Oregon to view the solar eclipse.

Gary Rutledge (57), his wife Michelle Jean (53), and their children Ryan (17) and Kate (15) died when their Toyota Rav4 burst into flames after Jesse Carl Ross smashed head-on into their vehicle on October 12, 2023.

According to the suit, Ross was heading north to his home in Montana when his vehicle veered into traffic southbound on U.S. 97, one mile north of Redmond, and struck the Rutledge family vehicle head-on. The suit claims that Ross was negligent in driving after taking cocaine and caffeine pills, and that his employer, Ducks Unlimited, a nonprofit that conserves, restores, and manages wetlands, had failed to supervise him.

The SUV was Burning Fiercely When State Troopers Arrived on the Scene

When the Oregon State Police arrived on the scene at 7.30 p.m., they found the Rutledge family inside the fiercely burning SUV.

Ross was admitted to the St. Charles Hospital in Bend, where he was treated for broken ribs and a broken clavicle.

Ross (45) is currently serving a 24-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in the Deschutes County Circuit Court to manslaughter to manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants, and criminally negligent homicide in the 2023 accident.

Gary Rutledge worked at the Bonnievale Dam, his wife was employed by the Northwest College of Construction in Portland, and their children attended Reynolds High School. Ryan was an honor student taking Advanced Placement classes, while Kate was a sophomore.