Oregon emergency room doctor sentenced to prison after hit-and-run

U.S. newsOregon emergency room doctor sentenced to prison after hit-and-runSurveillance footage shows the doctor, Kenneth Kolarsky, clocking in for work at a hospital about 20 minutes after the incident, prosecutors said.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Silverton Hospital in Silverton, Ore.Kevin Neri / Statesman Journal / USA Today Network via ImagnShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 15, 2026, 11:17 AM EDTBy Matt LavietesAn Oregon emergency room physician was sentenced to prison on Tuesday after hitting a man with his car and leaving him for dead.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Kenneth Kolarsky, 59, was sentenced to 13 months in prison and three years of post-prison supervision for a 2024 hit-and-run, the Marion County District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday. On the evening of December 26, 2024, Kolarsky struck Nicolas Hernandez-Mendoza with his car as Hernandez-Mendoza crossed North Pacific Highway in Woodburn, Oregon. Kolarsky stopped briefly, drove around the unconscious man and fled, prosecutors said.Hernandez-Mendoza was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fracture of the cervical vertebra and pelvic fractures. He died during emergency surgery after surgeons were unable to control internal bleeding from his spleen.Kolarsky was driving to his shift at Silverton Hospital from his Portland-area home when he struck Hernandez-Mendoza. Surveillance footage shows him arriving at the hospital roughly 20 minutes later. He was arrested last year and pleaded guilty to attempted failure to perform the duties of a driver to an injured person.Investigators built their case by collecting footage from dozens of nearby businesses and residences to identify the license plate, make and model of Kolarsky’s vehicle.Prosecutors noted Wednesday that charges were “limited to Kolarsky leaving the scene” and that there was “insufficient evidence to conclude that the collisio...