Oregon millionaire overdoses on fentanyl while awaiting trial for killing female paraglider, 36, after crashing his Tesla into her Mazda head-on ‘while drunk’
A man who made millions by suing an Oregon resort after a mountain bike accident died of an overdose while waiting for a new DUII case to be filed against him.
Gabriel Owens suffered a spinal cord injury and was subsequently awarded more than $10 million during the 2016 civil trial. He died on October 11 from a fatal dose of fentanyl, a lawyer for the late paraglider Kyle Haston has now revealed.
Haston, 36, died Sept. 8 in a crash involving Owens, 44, on the Southeast Jennifer Street railroad overpass, where Owens' 2022 Tesla sedan collided head-on with Haston's 2005 pickup.
Owens, meanwhile, walked away relatively unscathed, but was soon accused of driving while high and drunk. He posted $250,000 bail.
Charged with manslaughter, Owens began a preliminary investigation on the street before missing his first check-in with prosecutors, who then tried to take him back to jail.
It has now been revealed that after being allowed to avoid jail time, Owens overdosed within weeks of the same pills he was suspected of taking.
Gabriel Owens, 44, died on October 11 from a fatal dose of fentanyl, an attorney for the late paraglider Kyle Haston has revealed
Haston, 36, died Sept. 8 in a crash involving Owens, 45, on the Southeast Jennifer Street railroad overpass
Owens' 2022 Tesla sedan – seen here – collided head-on with the Aloha resident's 2005 pickup, killing her and seriously injuring her dog
“It's a tragic story for both families,” said Kyle Haston, the brother of the victim of Owens' latest — and final — car accident, after court filings in Clackamas County showed the case against Owens has effectively ended.
“I'm glad he has removed himself from the streets of Clackamas County for everyone's safety,” the family member continued, making the comments to OregonLive.
“But it came at such a high cost.”
The comments refer to the series of reports published by the publication in recent weeks, revealing how the former mountain biker had committed a series of traffic violations over the years.
The offenses include three DUIIs and are supplemented by a 2019 incident in which Owens was sentenced to 10 days in jail for spitting on a Clackamas County sheriff's deputy.
Records further show that of these three DUII crimes, committed in 2001, 2006 and 2014, Owens only spent a total of 10 days in jail – all after his third offense.
The first and second cases, meanwhile, were referred to treatment programs — as a police report obtained by the Oregon newspaper also showed how Owens told officers in September that he had purchased hundreds of $1 worth of fentanyl pills from downtown dealers in recent weeks of Portland. leading up to the crash.
“It's incredibly dangerous, every time I take one I get scared,” the deceased — who had been operating his Tesla with a medical device designed for people with spinal cord injuries — told officers, according to the report.
The confession was also littered with expletives, officers wrote — before revealing how, as Owens was loaded into an ambulance, he shouted to a barely alive Haston, “I'll see you in hell!”
“It's a tragic story for both families,” said Kyle Haston, the brother of the victim of Owens' last – and final – car accident, seen here paragliding in an undated photo
“I am glad he has removed himself from the streets of Clackamas County for everyone's safety,” the family member continued as reports revealed the extent of Owen's DUII history. 'But it came at such a high cost'
Haston's rescue dog Risby (seen here) was thrown from the vehicle and suffered 'serious' injuries but survived
Owens' sister and Owens' former criminal defense attorney reportedly did not respond to The Oregonian's requests for comment last Thursday after being the first to report that Owens had died.
Additionally, the newspaper revealed that Owens died out of custody after posting bail on September 14.
Previous reports had already indicated how Owens – after completing his Mt. in 2022. Hood Skibowl court fees – would likely go back behind bars around September 18 after never showing up for a GPS tracker and sobriety monitor.
However, court documents broadcast by the Oregonian Thursday revealed that attorneys for Owens successfully convinced a judge by claiming that their client had been hospitalized due to an infection and had hired a fasting monitor to ensure he followed the rules of the preliminary trial followed.
The lawyer obliged and added more release conditions that allowed him to remain out of custody, culminating in his death about three weeks later, as confirmed this week in court documents filed by Haston's attorney Jon Friedman.
On Thursday, he said he believes at least half of Owens' lawsuit money — a $10.5 million settlement secured by arguing that the sign he struck at the ski area should have been collapsible — remains.
“It appears most of his money is in an investment account,” the attorney told OregonLive, after the unearthed report showed Owens told police he had consumed several alcoholic “buzzballs” — a mix — the night before of fentanyl and liquor. Crash.
He had been awarded his riches in a civil lawsuit after being injured in a mountain bike accident on Mount Hood. Owens' spine was broken below the belly button while riding a double black diamond course in 2016
Kira Haston's brother Kyle Haston (pictured) is now considering filing a lawsuit against Owens' estate, claiming Owens had no children and no will
The paraplegic told police he had not had any fentanyl that day, according to the report, but the officer wrote that he stumbled over his words and showed what they called “obvious” signs of impairment.
Clackamas County sheriff's deputies initially responded to the scene around 1 p.m. and found Owens' 2022 Tesla sedan totaled, along with Aloha resident Haston's 2005 Mazda pickup.
Haston's rescue god, a Labrador named Ridby, was thrown from the vehicle and suffered “serious injuries” but barely survived.
A blood sample from Owen subsequently tested positive for fentanyl and benzodiazepines, a powerful depressant, as well as traces of alcohol, leading to his arrest.
Days later, he posted a quarter of a million bail after his mother came to his aid at the crash site.
His death now leads to a battle over his estate, as Owens had no children and no will.