BEAVERTON, Ore. — The driver in a hit-and-run incident that severely injured a 72-year-old woman last year has been sentenced to more than 7 years in prison, the Washington County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Tyler William Fetterhoff, 35, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and failure to perform the duties of a driver (the formal term for hit-and-run), both of which are felonies, according to a news release from the DA's office.
Washington County Sheriff's deputies responded on the evening of July 7, 2022, to a report that a pedestrian had been struck on Southwest Barnes Road near Providence St. Vincent Medical Center north of Beaverton, according to a news release at the time.
They arrived and found the victim, Diana Petty, in critical condition. She had been leaving the hospital after visiting her husband and was crossing the street when a driver came through a red light and hit her, then drove away.
Fetterhoff had been speeding to pass another vehicle and didn't slow down when he entered the intersection, according to the DA's office. The impact flung Petty into the air and scattered her belongings across the road.
A nurse from St. Vincent administered first aid, but the hospital is not a trauma center, so Petty was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, the sheriff's office said at the time.
Her injuries caused permanent harm, including the amputation of her lower right leg, the DA's office said, and she appeared at the court hearing Wednesday wearing a prosthetic.
Detectives were able to obtain a vehicle description and plate number from dash cam footage recorded by a witness who had been driving directly behind the suspect car, and Fetterhoff was arrested in Beaverton the following afternoon.
Fetterhoff drove to the home of an acquaintance after the incident, according to the DA's office, where he left his damaged car and took a ride-share home. The acquaintance reported Fetterhoff's car to police the next day after seeing media reports about the hit-and-run.
Investigators also used phone records, DNA analysis and witness statements to confirm Fetterhoff's identity and involvement in the crash, the DA's office said.
Fetterhoff had previously been convicted of aggravated assault and DUII stemming from another serious crash in 2011, according to the DA's office, and he therefore faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 70 months under Measure 11. The judge imposed an additional 20 months at a hearing on Wednesday, for a total of 90 months in prison without eligibility for time reduction programs.
