Oregon Water District, Couple Sued over Fatal 2015 Slide

Two sons of an Oregon woman who died when a mudslide tore through her home last winter seek nearly $10 million in a lawsuit filed against a Florence couple and a utility district.

Stephen Miller and Keith Eldien allege the Heceta Water People’s Utility District failed to properly maintain a water line that runs beneath a road. They further assert that a couple who lived nearby failed to take steps to prevent landslide dangers.

Delores Miller was crushed to death Dec. 18 after part of a private road collapsed, causing debris to flood her home during a period of heavy rain along the Oregon Coast. She was 70 years old.

The Register-Guard reported the couple and the water district have yet to respond to the lawsuit.