Police: 100-year-old driver hits 11 near LA school
A young victim is transported by Los Angeles city firefighters after a car driven by a 100-year-old went onto a sidewalk and plowed into a group of parents and children outside a South Los Angeles elementary school, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Los Angeles. Nine children and two adults were injured in the wreck. / AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Updated 11:00 PM ET
(AP) LOS ANGELES - A 100-year-old man backed his car on to a sidewalk and hit 11 people, including nine children, across from an elementary school in South Los Angeles just after classes had ended Wednesday, authorities said.
Four of the children were in critical condition when firefighters arrived but they were stabilized and were in serious condition at a hospital, city fire Capt. Jaime Moore said. Everyone was expected to survive, he said.
The powder blue Cadillac backed slowly into the group of parents and children buying snacks from a sidewalk vendor, and the crowd banged on his windows and screamed for him to stop, but not before some of the children were trapped under the car, witnesses said.
Children's backpacks, shoes, candy and loose change were strewn about the scene behind a discount grocery store across from Main Street Elementary.
Police identified the driver as Preston Carter and said he was being very cooperative.
Carter talked to television reporters after the crash some five miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles. He said he has a driver's license and will be 101 years old Sept. 5.
"My brakes failed. It was out of control," Carter told KCAL-TV.
Asked about hitting the children, Preston said: "You know I'm sorry about that. I wouldn't do that for nothing on earth. My sympathies for them."
Carter was pulling out of the grocery store parking lot, but instead of backing into the street, he backed onto the sidewalk, police Capt. George Rodriguez said.
"I think it was a miscalculation on his part. The gentleman is elderly," Rodriguez said. "Obviously he is going to have some impairment on his decision making."
Older drivers have been involved in other tragedies. In 2003, an 86-year-old man mistakenly stepped on the gas pedal of his car instead of the brake and then panicked, plowing into an open-air market in Santa Monica. Ten people were killed and 63 injured.
According to California's Department of Motor Vehicles, people over age 70 must renew their driver's license in person, rather than via the Internet or by mail. Older drivers can also be required to take a supplemental driving test if they fail a vision exam, or if a police officer, a physician, or a family member raises questions about their ability to drive.
Rodriguez said the collision was being investigated as an accident, and Carter was not under arrest. He has a valid driver's license, Rodriguez said.
Cops: 100-year-old hits 9 kids with car
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http://inmyowndamnwords.blogspot.com/2012/08/let-me-say-what-no-one-wants-to-say.html
Keeping Us Safe, a national organization headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, has developed a program specifically designed to prevent such tragedies. The program, titled "Beyond Driving with Dignity", is a self-assessment program designed to help older drivers and their families make appropriate driving decisions in response to age-related diminishing driving skills.
Matt Gurwell, Founder and CEO of Keeping Us Safe states that "Although this tragedy could have been worse, it is important to note that it could also have been avoided." Gurwell, a retired Ohio State Trooper, continues by explaining "Our self-assessment program for older drivers is designed to save lives." The 3-hour sessions include an in-depth interview with the older driver, input from concerned family members, several cognitively- based screening tools, a review of one's medical history and an actual driving exercise. The sessions are conducted by Certified "Beyond Driving with Dignity" Professionals currently deployed throughout the United States and Canada.
Gurwell adds that "The "Beyond Driving with Dignity" Professional Certification program was developed to arm qualifying professionals with the tools necessary to help older drivers and their families work through the complicated issue of age-related diminishing driving skills."
In addition, Keeping Us Safe offers the nationally-recognized "Beyond Driving with Dignity; The workbook for the families of older drivers". The workbook was designed to help concerned families by providing them with a "roadmap to success" in their quest to overcome the challenges of an older driver's diminished driving skills.
Gurwell explains that "Both the self-assessment program and the workbook are designed to keep our highways and communities safer places to live, work and recreate. The Beyond Driving with Dignity programs are also designed to help the older driver maintain their independence and dignity as they transition into a driving retirement."
When asked what the turning point was for starting Keeping Us Safe, Gurwell explains:
"There was never one particular event. It was the result of 20-plus years of holding dying people in my arms at terrible car accidents, and delivering dozens and dozens of death notifications to families. I would much rather work with families bringing a peaceful resolve to this sensitive and uncomfortable issue now, rather than have them deal with it when a State Trooper is knocking on their front door".
To learn more about the program, visit Keeping Us Safe at http://www.keepingussafe.org, or telephone 877-907-8841. Media inquiries are asked to call 216-904-8841.
Public transportation is what this man should be using from now on.
TAKE IT AWAY NOW!