Posted on 04/18/2012 5:30:02 PM PDT by matt04
The woman who crashed into the Publix on Belle Terre Parkway was charged with careless driving Tuesday as the Florida Highway Patrol released a video showing her car shattering glass doors as it crashed into the supermarket and plowed through shoppers.
"When you see the video you realize it's a miracle no one got killed," FHP Capt. Jerry Crews said.
Ten Palm Coast residents were injured when 76-year-old Thelma Wagenhoffer's 2004 Toyota Camry "accelerated rapidly as it crossed the parking lot" and crashed into the Publix, the FHP said.
The car careened through the store for 40 to 50 feet -- at least, Crews said.
Wagenhoffer, who lives in Palm Coast, will have to appear in court because of the seriousness of the injuries to the people in the store, Crews said. Wagenhoffer was not injured and FHP did not find any mechanical problems with the Toyota that could have caused the crash.
...
The accident happened at 1:24 p.m. Saturday closed the Publix at 4950 Belle Terre Parkway for the rest of the day. It reopened at 7 a.m. Sunday with a plywood patch and a wooden door at the entrance. The crash came less than two weeks after an airplane plunged into a Publix in DeLand, injuring five people and closing that store until sometime this summer.
(Excerpt) Read more at news-journalonline.com ...
Seems there is a lot of crashing into buildings going on lately. Why? Too many drunks on the road? Defective brakes? Seems rather unusual. There should be some investigation into the causes.
Driver is 76 years old, eh? Gosh I’m so surprised.
Cars somehow always malfunction with older folks.
>_<
Had a lady of about 75 years drive into the church parking lot last winter. She meant to park nosed up to a storage shed. She slowed down, then stepped on the gas instead of the brake. Drove smack-dab into the shed.
My kids know that I will give up my keys when they think I need to stop driving. I couldn't live with myself if I let my pride in my 'independence' kill someone.
/johnny
I’m a “seasoned citizen”, so I can say this: I think that people should get re-tested at the DMV for vision, hearing, reactioin time, etc., when they reach a certain age, say 75, maybe even younger. We don’t recognize it when our faculties start to slow down. I know some folks in their 90’s who are still driving, and it scares the heck out of me!
Nothing wrong with a lead foot grandma but she needs to point the car in the right direction first.
She saw the sign that said “Prescription Pick Up Drive Thru”, and took it a little too literally.
"Careless" doesn't quite cover it.
Careless is when they back up without looking and almost hit someone walking in a parking lot. Driving thru a supermarket at high speed is negligent.
Another elderly driver crashinf into a storefront. They need to really check people who are older and especially if they are on a lot of medications.
There is a lot of this going on, and still people are allowed to continue driving. Isn’t that strange? Anyone over 16 can get a license to drive one of these massive killing machines, and there is no background check or waiting period. Confused people can continue to drive with no effective oversight. Felons can get a car whenever they want and there are no real impediments to doing so. When will we finally realise that cars are dangerous and institute proper ‘car control laws.’ When lone kooks decide to get a gun and shoot some people we are inundated with calls for disarming everybody, including those who are innocent of any wrongdoing or negligence, and yet we hear nothing in the case of killer drivers. Why? Far more people die from these “accidents” than do at the hands of gunmen, and still nothing. It just makes no sense.
Agree. There are plenty older folks who could do just fine. My next door neighbor is 94 and he is in great shape and can drive fine. He’s not on any meds and is healthy.
Some states require drivers of a certain age to be tested every year or so. That seems to be a good idea.
Not that everyone over 75 shouldn’t drive, however. A close friend’s father drove almost till the day he died at age 90. He was tested for years and it was said he had better reflexes than a guy in his 20s. Exception to the rule, maybe, but I wouldn’t want government to prohibit anyone from driving merely because he or she reaches some arbitrary age.
Man,you can’t even go into Publix without being hit by a car OR a plane!
Man,you can’t even go into Publix without being hit by a car OR a plane!
Neither do I. Which is why it's important for those of us that are getting older to listen to our kids when they say "It's time to stop driving".
It was a big fight with Mom when we took her car. We were taking her independence.
I do admit to playing the guilt trip on her, and asking her how she would feel if she killed some young family because she couldn't see as well, and got confused if things got complicated.
Ugly. But required.
/johnny
Not just the store front, thru the doors, over a bunch of people on a bench, past the checkouts and finally stopped when they hit the end of a aisle.
Watch towards the end of the video they pick the car up and pull someone out from under it.
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