A recent Oregon court case resulted in a $1.185 million award to Curtis Bunch, a disabled veteran, after a disturbing encounter with a tow company employee. Bunch sued Retriever Towing, claiming he was assaulted while trying to recover his wrongly towed SUV from their Salem facility in 2020. A Multnomah County jury sided with Bunch after a six-day trial.

The confrontation unfolded after Bunch, who has disabled veteran plates and a parking permit, parked his truck legally in an accessible spot at the tow yard. Bunch claims he attempted to contact the tow company to get his vehicle several times before arriving that day.

Richard Pinkerton, the tow yard manager, questioned his use of the space, accusing Bunch of failing to “follow the rules.” The situation quickly escalated with Pinkerton making aggressive remarks. Pinkerton suggested this might be why the tow company took Bunch’s SUV.

According to Bunch’s attorneys, Bunch felt threatened and retrieved his concealed firearm from his truck for safety but holstered it immediately. Pinkerton reportedly continued to provoke Bunch, taunting him about the firearm. Bunch attempted to show Pinkerton his disabled veteran license plate. Pinkerton, who is also a veteran, responded that he didn’t care, even mentioning the number of people he’d killed in combat.

Eventually, Pinkerton struck Bunch in the head.

A surveillance camera at the tow facility and Bunch’s body cam captured the assault.

Following his own assault, police handcuffed and detained Bunch based on what his lawyers claim were false statements from Pinkerton and Retriever Towing.

During his detainment, Bunch suffered a panic attack and injured his face in the back of the police cruiser.

The incident led to “severe physical and emotional effects,” including a resurgence of PTSD symptoms from his military service. His lawyers shared that the ordeal not only damaged his mental health but strained his relationships with family, leading him to live in isolation.

“He went from what his wife described as the seven best years of their marriage to living in isolation in a fifth-wheel trailer out on the coast,” his attorney said. “He described that the symptoms of PTSD caused him to want to be away from social interaction, including that interaction, with his loved ones.”

Pinkerton is also a veteran and told Bunch’s lawyers that working at Retriever Towing triggered mental health issues. At the time of the jury’s decision, Pinkerton no longer worked for the tow company. “It threw me right back into a constant defensive military mode,” KGW8 News quoted. “That’s what I craved as a soldier, and it fed an animal in me. I had to leave. I had to.”

In the lawsuit, the jury awarded Bunch $925,000 for his emotional distress and $260,000 in punitive damages against Retriever Towing. Pinkerton faced criminal charges in 2021 and was convicted of fourth-degree assault, sentenced to probation, and required to complete an anger management course. The company stated that Pinkerton no longer works for them, and a representative labeled the incident “unfortunate,” while attempting to shift blame onto both parties involved.