A Portland barber, Robert Schlick, was riding his Harley motorcycle when he lost his leg in a tragic motorcycle accident Monday morning. The accident involved an alleged drunk driver and police said the driver had been arrested for DUI before. A car driven by Paul Conklin veered into his lane, police say, and right into Schlick’s Harley. Schlick says he tried to lay low to avoid the full force of the impact. The action helped him escape near-certain impalement on the car, but resulted in a shattering of his leg bone.

Schlick said he “laid down his bike” to avoid hitting Conklin head-on along Scholl’s Ferry Road, and the impact shattered his leg.
“It’s kind of an instinct. You realize you’re going to have to sacrifice the bike for yourself. Had I continued on, I probably would have impaled myself on the car,” Schlick told KGW News.
A 22-year-old Conklin, it was found after the motorcycle accident, had been driving under the influence. It wasn’t even his first offense from this kind of behavior. He had been arrested in June of 2007 for drunk driving. Then, the young Conklin had pleaded no contest to the charges, and had undergone treatment for alcoholism as part of his sentence. He was also required to spend time at a DUI counseling center to see first hand the impact that actions like his have on ordinary families.

Robert Schlick may be eligible for a hefty settlement for his injuries resulting from a motorcycle accident on Monday. Schlick is a motorcycle enthusiast, who also happens to be a barber by profession. This man needs to be standing for the most part of the day to actively partake in earning a livelihood, and the motorcycle accident that was caused by an alleged drunk driver has left Schlick with an amputated leg.

At this point, Conklin has not been charged with any crimes and authorities with the Washington County Sheriff’s office said his case will likely go to a grand jury next week with prosecutors also seeking assault charges.