Family of Gresham Teen Sues Driver of Truck That Hit Her

The family of a teenager from Gresham who was struck by a flower delivery van has filed a $16.5 million suit against the driver and her employer, 1-800-Flowers.

On April 20th, 15-year-old Viridiana Orozco-Hernandez had been walking with friends at Kane Drive by Southeast 1st Street when she was hit by a van driven by Deann Lepoidevin. At the time, she was driving for Nancy's Floral, a 1-800-Flowers franchisee.

The suit - which charges negligence - says that Lepoidevin "had a history of seizures, blackouts, epilepsy" and had been under a doctor's care since 1998.

The suit alleges that Lepoidevin did not disclose her medical history and she wasn't asked about it.

On the day she hit the teen, Lepoidevin had two seizures while driving, according to someone who was riding with her, the suit says. That person asked her to pull over but she didn't, the suit says.

She then ran a red light and hit the teen who was legally crossing in a crosswalk, sending her 50 feet.

The suit says that the teen suffered 17 injuries including brain trauma, spent three weeks in the hospital and has undergone at least 11 medical procedures.

Nancy's Flowers and 1-800-Flowers have not yet responded to the charges.

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