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Grand jury clears driver in fatality His pickup struck man in wheelchair By Jill Briskey A Medford driver whose pickup truck struck and killed a man in a wheelchair Nov. 3 was cleared of any wrongdoing Thursday. According to Deputy District Attorney Allan Smith, the Jackson County grand jury deliberated for about 10 minutes before deciding not to file charges against the driver, 22-year-old Glen Thomas Dow. Medford resident Wayne Oliver, 48, died in the accident. He was about halfway across the busy intersection of Fourth and Holly streets in his motorized wheelchair. "I think the grand jury concluded that this was an accident, a tragic accident," Smith said. Smith said the jury was asked to consider the charge of criminally negligent homicide. Medford police, who investigated, said that Dow was driving his 1986 Nissan pickup when the accident occurred around 4 p.m. Both police and Dow testified that the glare of the sun that day was blinding, Smith said. Smith said a police investigation revealed that Dow was driving about 36 mph. The posted speed limit is 25 mph. "(Dow) testified that he never saw the individual until he struck him," Smith said. "He testified that he was going 25 mph, maybe a little faster." Smith said there is often a problem of motorists speeding through that area, but Dow probably will not be cited for speeding. At the time of the accident, Oliver was on his way home to order a pizza and watch "The Crocodile Hunter." He had often told friends that he was afraid of crossing the busy intersection where he died. Born with cerebral palsy, Oliver was remembered by friends and neighbors as a man who loved life and his independence. He tutored neighborhood children and college students in math and Spanish. According to Oliver�s live-in caregiver, Marsha Betshamea, Oliver lived in Florida before moving to the Rogue Valley in 1996. While in Florida, he earned a college degree in ministries, she says. "This tragedy could have been prevented," Betshamea, who considered Oliver her best friend, said after his death. "I think the greatest memorial would be to put up a (traffic) light." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.