100-Year Old Driver Injures 9 Children and 2 Adults

Posted on August 31, 2012

playground (Photo credit: Listener42)

The debate about age and driving has begun to resurface. When a 100-year old man backed his vehicle into a sidewalk near an elementary school, many people began to worry about elderly people’s capability to drive safely. Judging from the fiasco on that terrifying Wednesday afternoon, witnesses and parents, would agree that personal injury will result from an elderly person’s negligent driving.

Kids were roaming and running about, parents were chatting with other parents, and all the children were wondering freely and carelessly—this is a typical scene when an elementary school is let out. However, what is different in this scenario is that within a matter of minutes, 100-year old male driver Preston Carter managed to hit 11 people when he ran his large Cadillac onto a sidewalk.

Immediately the scene changed from joyful to chaos. Carter’s powder blue Cadillac backed slowly into a group of parents and children who were buying snacks from a vendor. As this happened, many pedestrians yelled at him to stop and even banged on his windows. By then, a few children were trapped under the car. When asked by the police why he had not stopped, he told them that “My brakes failed. It was out of control.”

The century-year old man was driving out of a grocery store, pulling out of the parking lot. Instead of heading into the street, he accidentally reversed his Cadillac into the sidewalk filled with young children. Nine out of the 11 hit victims were children. One child was in critical but stable condition while another kid remained in observation in a hospital overnight. All the injured children were treated then released. Thankfully, no wrongful death accidents occurred on that afternoon.

Carter, who will be turning 101 on September 1st claimed that he is “sorry about that. I wouldn’t do that for nothing on earth. My sympathies for them.” The elderly man has a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record. So far, no charges have been filed but authorities are continuing to investigate the situation.

This recent incident brings into mind the July 2003 car accident of when an 86-year old man ran over pedestrians in a crowded farmers market in Santa Monica. Ten people had died from that accident and a grand total of 63 were injured.

California requires all drivers over the age of 70 to pass a vision and written test every five years.

If you have ever received personal injury from someone who was driving carelessly, you have a right to consult with a car accident attorney today.