This Oregon ER doctor struck a pedestrian with his car, then made a sickening choice that cost a man his life

Road accidents, similar to a college swim star who recently lost his life in North Carolina, are making headlines lately. Now, another road accident involving a pedestrian in Oregon has come to light. An emergency doctor, who was supposed to keep people safe, struck this pedestrian and fled the scene. The doctor has now been sentenced to more than a year in prison.

As reported by People, the victim, Nicolas Hernandez-Mendoza, was hit by a vehicle driven by an emergency doctor named Kenneth Kolarsky. The Marion County District Attorney’s Office, in a press release, stated that the victim died during the operation after Kolarsky hit him with his car. Kenneth Kolarsky was arrested on  May 17, 2025, and has pleaded guilty to the charges of attempted failure to perform duties of a driver to an injured person, per the district attorney’s office. 

The prosecutor argued that Hernandez was crossing the road when he was hit by the vehicle, and the safety light was on. The prosecutor stated, “Upon striking Hernandez-Mendoza, the defendant stopped the vehicle, drove around his unconscious body in the roadway, and then fled the scene.”  Hernandez was severely injured when Kolarsy left him stranded on the road. According to the report by KPTV, after Kolarsky hit Hernandez, he walked into his workplace 20 minutes afterwards, which could suggest he was unbothered by the fact that he had left an injured person on the road whom he had struck himself.

Hernandez’s Daughter was devastated by his father’s loss, as he was about to meet her daughter for the first time 

Hernandez’s daughter was devastated at his father’s death because he was about to meet her daughter for the first time. Kimberly, in severe pain and remorse, criticised Kolarsky for leaving her father on the road. According to the medical report, Hernandez suffered fractures in his cervical vertebrae and pelvic area and died during surgery when doctors were unable to stop his spleen from bleeding.

Kimberly, talking to KPTV, stated, “This is someone we’re supposed to trust and sometimes put our lives in his hands, and in that moment, I think he had my dad’s life in his hands, but he just made the wrong choice.” She added, “I could have my father right now.”  Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy, in his statement, said, “Regardless of why the accident occurred, to leave a scene after striking someone with your vehicle is a callous disregard for human life.” He also affirmed, “That’s intolerable, and especially offensive when it is committed by a professional who takes an oath to ‘do no harm.’” 

Previously, a 4-year-old also lost his life when an Amazon delivery vehicle struck him and claimed his life, and now, Mendoza’s tragedy is breaking us. Investigators identified Kolarsky as the offender after reviewing the traffic footage. He has now been sentenced to 3 months in prison and 36 months of post-prison supervision. But despite the sentence, his offense has raised concerns over the mental situation of the doctors who are designated to help others, as Kolarsky, despite being a doctor, could not act accordingly in the situation of crisis.