Labor Commissioner-elect Val Hoyle, who survived a car crash on Thanksgiving Day, has been thanking emergency responders and her union-made, green Chevrolet Sonic compact car.



Hoyle posted a photo of the crash on Facebook and explained that she was with her family on Thursday, Nov. 22, on her way to buy candles because of a power outage at her Springfield home, when the driver in an oncoming car lost control and swerved into her lane.

"It's amazing no one was hurt badly. Chrissy and I are a bit sore, Deirdre has a couple of bruises and the 2 people in the other car walked away with bruises," Hoyle posted. "I am so very grateful because it could have easily been tragic."

She thanked Eugene and Springfield paramedics, McKenzie Fire and Rescue and the Lane County Sheriff's office "for their quick and professional response on Thanksgiving when they could have been home with their families."



A post on Saturday stated that she was at home, treating her bruises with ice packs and Advil.

When a Facebook friend offered her a loaner car, she replied: "I'm going to check with my insurance today, they should cover it but I'll let you know. Quite frankly, I don't feel much like driving any time soon."

The crash took place on narrow Camp Creek Road in Springfield. The woman driving the other car lost control on the wet, curving road, according to Hoyle.

"I'm still shocked that no one was hurt worse," she said Sunday night. "It was most certainly a lucky day all things considered. I'm grateful that I have time to recover. So many people don't."

Today we have a lot to be grateful for; on a quick trip to the store for candles because our power went out, an oncoming... Posted by Val Hoyle on Thursday, November 22, 2018

Hoyle, a former Democratic state representative with a family history of union organizing, was elected in May to take the helm of Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI).



At the time, Hoyle, 54, said she wants to make Oregon a friendlier place for small businesses by cracking down on bad actors, as well as invest more in trade skills and job training for youth. She also wants to help reorient the state's workforce to keep pace with advances in technology and larger employment shifts, such as the move from unionized taxi driver to freelance ride-hailing work.

Hoyle served as the House Majority Leader in the Oregon Legislature before launching an unsuccessful run for secretary of state in 2016. But the BOLI job is the one she's made for, she said.