A reader sent me this link to a BBC story which reports that a 100-year old man reversed across a pavement and into a group of primary school children in Los Angeles. Four of the children were critically injured, but expected to survive. Some were trapped under the car.
The driver, Preston Carter, will be 101 on September 5th. The report says:
Mr Carter told a local news station: “My brakes failed. It was out of control.” He also said he had a driving licence and would be 101 on 5 September.
When asked about hitting the children, he said: “You know I’m sorry about that. I wouldn’t do that for nothing on earth. My sympathies for them.”
Police believe he was driving out of the car park of a grocery shop, but drove on to the pavement instead of pulling into the street.
A slight contradiction there, depending on who you believe, but you can work out the most likely reason it happened for yourselves. It will be interesting to see what the US legal system decides. After all, Carter does have certain “constitutional rights”.
Remember to sign Cassie’s Law – police in the UK need powers to remove dangerous elderly drivers from the roads.
More stories are now appearing on the newsfeeds. This one is from USA Today. This one in the Salt Lake Tribune. A UK one from the GazetteLive. The Lexington Herald. The Sunday Sun. The LA Times. The Tucson News Now. The Peoria Journal Star.
I do feel a bit sorry for the guy – but he simply shouldn’t be driving at 100 years old. No one should.