Promising girl, 17, met tragic end on terrifyingly narrow Oregon road while driving home from her second day at new job, dad's $39m lawsuit claims

A 17-year-old Oregon teen had just finished her second day training at her dream job when she took a new route home, lost control of her Jeep on a narrow country road and was killed in a horrific rollover crash.

Now, her father claims the tragedy was entirely preventable.

David Tankersley has filed a $39 million wrongful death lawsuit alleging local officials ignored years of warnings that Southwest Tile Flat Road had become a dangerous 'death trap,' while Jeep manufacturers sold a vehicle whose rollover protection system failed during the crash.

The complaint, obtained by Daily Mail, was filed July 23 in Multnomah County Circuit Court, names the City of Beaverton, Washington County, the Oregon Department of Transportation, Stellantis N.V. and FCA US as defendants and seeks more than $39 million in damages.

According to the complaint, Mai Grace Tankersley, an Aloha High School student, had just finished work at Dutch Bros on July 25, 2024, when she decided to take a new, unfamiliar scenic route home.

The lawsuit alleges she was driving at the road's unposted 55mph speed limit when she reached an uphill section where Southwest Tile Flat Road narrows and bends slightly to the left. 

The passenger-side wheels of her 2005 Jeep Wrangler dropped onto the gravel shoulder before the SUV crossed both lanes of traffic, ran down an embankment, struck a large tree and flipped over.

Tankersley died at the scene.

Tankersley's father alleges the crash was not simply the result of driver error but of a roadway that had long been known to be unsafe.

According to the lawsuit, the Jeep left the roadway twice during the crash sequence. At the first point where it left the pavement, the northbound lane measured just 8ft 6in wide with a four-inch fog line and a six-inch gravel shoulder.

The complaint alleges the roadway lacked adequate recovery space for motorists, had no roadside barriers and carried a speed limit that was too high for its design. 

It further claims the road fell below applicable design standards, noting Oregon generally calls for 12-foot travel lanes while some local roads may be built with 10-foot lanes, and that Beaverton's own standards call for shoulders at least two feet wide.

Tankersley's father also alleges the Jeep itself failed to protect his daughter.

According to the complaint, he purchased the lightly driven 2005 Jeep Wrangler around her 15th birthday after researching favorable quality ratings and believing what appeared to be a protective roll cage would keep her safe in the event of a rollover. 

The lawsuit says the vehicle had about 48,300 miles and remained in excellent condition.

Although Tankersley was wearing her seatbelt and remained buckled throughout the crash, the lawsuit alleges the Jeep's rollover protection system failed as the SUV overturned.

It claims the windshield folded into the driver's compartment while the roll cage crushed, deformed and separated from the frame instead of protecting her.

The complaint says Tankersley died from blunt-force trauma to her head and neck and alleges the failure of the Jeep's sport bar and side bars directly caused those fatal injuries.

The lawsuit also accuses Stellantis of marketing the Wrangler as a rugged vehicle that could 'go anywhere and do anything,' while alleging consumers were led to believe its rollover protection would adequately protect occupants.

According to the lawsuit, nearby residents had warned city officials years before the fatal crash that rapid housing development had transformed Southwest Tile Flat Road into an increasingly dangerous corridor.

The complaint says neighbors petitioned the City of Beaverton in 2021, warning that heavier traffic would lead to serious crashes, particularly involving inexperienced teenage drivers.

One of those residents, Ron Anderson, later submitted testimony arguing that safety improvements should have been tied to increased traffic rather than the number of new homes built. 

He claimed the road no longer met the specifications of a proper collector roadway and said drivers had only about 8ft 5in of usable lane width before risking crossing into oncoming traffic.

Anderson also said he witnessed Tankersley's crash from his property.

'The current development has changed the dynamics of our narrow country lane and resulted in our first fatality,' he wrote, alleging the teenager lost control of her Jeep before it rolled over and came to rest upside down in a drainage ditch after narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic.

Following the crash, Anderson urged officials to lower the speed limit, install warning signs and flashing speed displays, repair the shoulder and widen the roadway before approving additional housing.

'It's unconscionable that Beaverton is continuing to make plans to make this death trap even more dangerous by adding more beds before correcting the known defects,' he wrote, ending his testimony with the plea: 'Please, No More Deaths!'

The complaint also alleges there were 36 crashes resulting in injuries along the approximately four-mile stretch of Tile Flat Road between 2008 and 2022.

Tankersley's family said the Aloha High School student had dreamed of becoming a history teacher and was also considering a career as a tattoo artist because of her artistic talent.

'Along with that, Mai was incredibly kind and loving,' the family said in a statement to OregonLive. 'She'd be the first to give a hug.'

The City of Beaverton, Washington County and the Oregon Department of Transportation declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Stellantis N.V. and FCA US for comment.