Oregon
Oregon City man’s quick-thinking after crash helps save life, leads to start of lifelong friendship
PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) – An Oregon City man rushed into action after a head-on crash happened right in front of him, and it was all caught on camera.
Mike Phung, a part-time Uber driver, was heading south toward Lake Oswego on Highway 43 when the crash happened in front of him and was caught on his dashcam.
“It just took me by surprise, obviously. It was crazy. It was absolutely crazy,” he said.
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Phung was confronted with a life and death situation on that rainy October morning. But it wasn’t the first time.
As fate would have it, Phung is a veteran combat medic who served multiple tours in Iraq, and despite recovering from a broken arm himself, his instincts and training kicked in immediately.
“For a split second, in my head, I was thinking, ‘Where are you? What is going on?’” he said. “I was thinking to myself, you’re right back in it, you know. Just for a split second, and after that I realized it’s go time, it’s time to rock and roll.”
The impact set both cars on fire. The driver of a BMW escaped on his own with relatively minor injuries, while the driver of a Subaru was trapped.
“So, I run towards the vehicles, the two burning vehicles and both her front doors were damaged, where I couldn’t open them,” Phung said. “And the whole time, she was screaming in pain. She was yelling in pain, and I kept telling her, ‘It’s OK honey, I know. But we gotta get out of here, both cars were on fire.’”
Phung, and others, were able to pull the driver to safety, away from the burning wreckage.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office ruled the crash an accident, saying the slick conditions led to the Subaru losing control and bouncing off the guardrail.
The Subaru driver, Holly Morris, was rushed to OHSU with critical injuries. With no close family in town, she faced the prospect of spending months in the hospital – much of it alone. But Phung would not let that happen.
When Phung heard about Morris’ situation, he headed straight to the hospital.
“I remember his voice through the whole wreck, the whole time. Like, ‘we gotta get this going. We gotta get her out of the car,’” Morris said. “And, like, he saved my life, like straight up, and I’m so appreciative of him.”
Phung promised to continue to check up on Morris, which he did. Enlisting his family to make regular visits, celebrating Morris’s birthday and including her in the family’s holiday celebrations.
Now, nearly four months later, “Auntie Holly” is considered a family member. The remarkable result of a painful crash, and that first hospital visit.
“When he came to the hospital the first time, I was like, ‘I know exactly who you are.’ Like, his voice,” Morris said. “I was so happy to see him, because I didn’t expect him to come up there, you know. But, I’m so glad he did.”
Morris remembers the crash and how Phung stepped into action.
“It was just really scary, and I felt like I was dying. And then, Mike came out of nowhere,” she said. “He literally calmed me down to make me, like recline the seat and unlock the back door, and luckily that door opened and he was able to pull me out.”
As she recovers with the support of her Oregon family, Morris is moving forward with immense gratitude. A lesson instilled by the man she calls her guardian angel.
“He didn’t think twice about saving my life, and I don’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t there. I probably would have died,” she said. “But I’m very thankful for him.”
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Morris’s recovery is continuing slowly but steadily. She ended up spending more than three months in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries.
Meanwhile, Phung is being recognized for his heroic actions. The Lake Oswego Police Department recently honored him with their Community Service Award.
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The Oregon Ducks are set for one of the biggest timelines of their recruiting cycle, as many top targets are nearing commitments. This time around, the Ducks have a ton of top targets still remaining on their board compared to past seasons, as the Ducks have eight total commitments at this time.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff still need to land a safety commitment, but three-star safety Elijah Butler out of Maryland recently included the Ducks in his final six schools.
Oregon Target Elijah Butler Makes Exciting Recruiting Announcement
Butler announced his top six schools ahead of a crucial part of his recruitment, according to a graphic by Leyton Roberts. The Ducks made the cut alongside the Maryland Terrapins, Virginia Tech Hokies, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The talented prospect would be a great addition for any of these teams, as they could all use a safety prospect at this point in the recruiting timeline.
Butler is from the state of Maryland, which makes the Terrapins one to watch.
It is also worth noting that he has been labeled as one of the best players in the state of Maryland, as he currently ranks as the state’s No. 9 prospect, according to Rivals. This is important as the Terrapins have always made solid attempts to land their in-state stars, including last season when they landed one of the better players in the state’s history, Zion Elee.
As of now, the prospect hasn’t been predicted to land with any of these schools, which means it is likely still a tight race entering the official visit schedule. He has yet to schedule an official visit with all of the schools he has listed in his top six, as he is still missing three key official visits. Butler has scheduled official visits with Alabama, Auburn, and Florida, according to 247Sports. This means he still needs to set one with Oregon, Virginia Tech, and Maryland if he wants to take one to each school.
If the Ducks are able to get Butler on a visit, then they would likely be in a more favorable position to land his commitment, as it currently. seems they are one of the trailing teams from this list. It seems highly unlikely that the Ducks will gain his commitment unless they get him on an official visit, which is still possible at this point, as plenty of top prospects across the nation are still scheduling their official visits.
As of now, the Ducks have 27 prospects set to take an official visit, according to 247Sports. Among all of the prospects who have scheduled a visit thus far, only one of the players is listed as a safety. That player is a three-star target, Junior Tu’upo. This leads one to believe that the Ducks could try to get Butler on a visit, or at a minimum, pitch their program to the prospect from St Frances Academy.
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BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
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