Thursday, June 5, 2008

Elderly man injures two after hopping curb

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A 70-year-old woman suffered serious injuries after a car hopped the curb at a local bank on Thursday, hitting her and another man as they waited at an ATM.
Authorities said the 90-year-old driver’s foot apparently slipped off the brake and hit the gas as he pulled into a spot at the Washington Mutual, 3768 State St. near Hitchcock Way.

His 2002 Mercury Sable hopped a 5-inch curb and hit the pedestrians as they stood on the sidewalk, ultimately coming to a rest against the building.
Paramedics transported both victims to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with lower leg and torso injuries while police questioned the elderly driver. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, it’s unclear if he will be cited or charged.
The man hit in the accident was described only as a 48-year-old. The identities of those involved were not immediately available.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a person who is closer to being a "senior" driver than I'd like to admit, I believe it's time that we all take a serious look at revamping our DMV driving laws. We all need to take a mandatory driving exam/driving test every five years or when our licenses are renewed. How many times have we seen inattentive, mindless driving every day?

Anonymous said...

How many people need to be injured or killed by eldery drivers before somehting is done?

Anonymous said...

I think this is the third time in as many months that an elderly person has done something like this. Weren't there two women back around April that crashed into buildings because either a foot got stuck or they pushed the wrong pedal? I seem to remember reading about them around the same time of year.