Woman arrested for DUII after Eugene Police find her crashed into tree with more than a dozen nitrous oxide tanks

Eugene, OR – A woman was arrested on multiple charges after Eugene Police responded to a reported vehicle stopped in the roadway and found her car crashed into a large tree, with at least a dozen tanks of nitrous oxide inside.

The incident occurred late Tuesday night, Aug. 26, when an Eugene Police officer was dispatched at approximately 11:20 p.m. to the area of Chambers Street and West 29th Avenue for a welfare check involving a vehicle reportedly parked in the middle of the roadway.

The vehicle reportedly matched the description of a car that had been seen driving at approximately 2 mph near Chambers Street and West 18th Avenue about two hours earlier. Officers were unable to locate the vehicle at that time.

When the officer arrived near Chambers Street and West 29th Avenue, the vehicle was not initially visible. A short time later, however, the officer located it down an embankment, where it had crashed into a large tree.

According to Eugene Police, the officer observed a significant amount of fresh damage to the vehicle that appeared to have occurred before the crash.

The driver was identified as Selma Alexis Hourigan. Police said she was sitting in the driver’s seat next to a large nitrous oxide gas tank weighing between 10 and 15 pounds.

Officers also found a dozen or more additional nitrous oxide bottles on the vehicle’s floorboards, with several more tanks located in the backseat.

Police said Hourigan was unable to stand or walk and appeared extremely confused when officers encountered her.

The responding officer described Hourigan as the “most intoxicated (or) impaired driver via nitrous oxide” he had ever seen.

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, can cause impairment when inhaled. The circumstances described by police led to Hourigan’s arrest and multiple charges.

Hourigan was arrested on suspicion of DUII, reckless driving, inhaling toxic vapor and driving uninsured.

The incident began with a welfare check after reports of a vehicle stopped in the roadway, but the investigation ultimately led officers to the crashed vehicle and the discovery of the large quantity of nitrous oxide inside.

Police did not indicate whether anyone else was inside the vehicle at the time of the crash. The information released by the department also did not provide details about whether anyone was injured in the collision.

The case remains subject to the legal process, and the charges against Hourigan are allegations unless proven in court.