Man To Surrender In Fatal Farmers' Market Crash (Elderly Man Could Face 18 Years In Prison)

NBC Channel 4, Los Angeles ^ | 8:49 AM PST January 6, 2004 | NBC Channel 4, Los Angeles

[Smogger]

LOS ANGELES -- An 87-year-old man will surrender to authorities Tuesday after being charged with manslaughter in the deaths 10 people killed when his car roared through a Santa Monica, Calif., Farmers' Market, his attorney said.

George Russell Weller of Santa Monica faces 10 felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence stemming from the July 16 crash, the district attorney's office said. The accident also injured 63 people.

Weller is charged in the deaths of Theresa Bregalia, 50, of Bronx, N.Y.; Brendon Esfahani, 7 months, of Los Angeles; Molok Ghoulian, 62, of Los Angeles; Gloria Gonzalez, 35, of Venice; Movsha Hoffman, 78, of Santa Monica; Leroy Lattier, 55, a transient; Diana McCarthy, 41, of New York, N.Y.; Kevin McCarthy, 50, of New York, N.Y.; Cindy Valladares, 3, of Los Angeles; and Lynne Ann Weaver, 47, of Woodland Hills. The victims were struck while shopping at the Farmers' Market on Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica on July 16, 2003.

Weller has agreed to surrender to authorities at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, prosecutors and a defense attorney said. Prosecutors recommended bail of $50,000, which Weller's attorney said he was prepared to post.

If convicted on all counts, he could receive sentences ranging from probation to 18 years in prison.

Describing the crash as an accident, defense attorney Jim Bianco said Weller and his family were disappointed by the news. He declined to comment further Monday.

"People refer to things as accidents, but if you negligently drive a vehicle and you hit a person and that person dies, that's a crime," said Head Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lynch told the Los Angeles Times. "Mr. Weller drove that vehicle negligently and he killed 10 people."

[Smogger]

Amazing he has been walking around free this long.

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[Dialup Llama]

Is it true that he had to drive around parked cars in order to successfully make the 1,000 foot run?

[billorites]

Elderly drivers are notorious about opposing recurrent driver or vision testing. Furthermore, they vote.

I got stuck behind a geezer on a Vermont highway this weekend. He was going 25 mph, really, in a 55 mph zone. I was stuck behind the Q-tip for miles!

[boomop1]

They always drive big American cars, heaven help us if they switch to SUV's.

[CSM]

"People refer to things as accidents, but if you negligently drive a vehicle and you hit a person and that person dies, that's a crime," said Head Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lynch told the Los Angeles Times. "Mr. Weller drove that vehicle negligently and he killed 10 people."

---

Egggggsactly! Regardless of age, negligence is negligence. I would expand this to include any damage done to any property would constitute a crime as well. Most (90%) of the car crashes in our society are caused by negligence of one or more parties.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Personal responsibility, what a concept. Think it will catch on?

[Mark17]

Think it will catch on?

Not if the Demon Rat democrats have anything to say about it.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Yes they will say that he was a victim of the public not taking his license and providing him with free on demand personal transportation. I wonder what Anti-American-Retired-People (AARP) have to say about the case.

[Siamese Princess]

They always drive big American cars, heaven help us if they switch to SUV's.

Contrary to popular belief, most old people have bags of money -- they can afford the big cars.

[Mark17]

I wonder what Anti-American-Retired-People (AARP) have to say about the case.

The same I am sure. They will probably demand more of your tax dollars too.

[Poohbah]

Jumpin' Jehosaphat, what in the H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS happened with that one?

[CSM]

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Quit giving them ideas!

[Conspiracy Guy]

Probably.

[curmudgeonII]

An 18 year sentence for an 87 year old man? Hmmmmm!

I guess it could be worse. They might give him life.

[Dialup Llama]

Do you think the guy thought that because of his age that he had a freebie so he figured what the heck? I've read that some age related impairments involve a lack of impulse control. So maybe the he figured he could mow down some people for fun and still go free.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Sorry. I wasn't thinking. Again.

[happygrl]

defense attorney Jim Bianco said Weller and his family were disappointed by the news.

What, he thinks this is a game where you can have a "Do Over" ?

He has had 87 years, he took from people the chance to live that long.

Hard Labor.

[billorites]

"Jumpin' Jehosaphat, what in the H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS happened with that one?"

Well, you know the old story.

a) The car jumped into gear.
b) He got confused about which pedal was which.
c) I got lost in my garage.

[Junior]

I bet he claims "the accelerator pedal got stuck." This is a phenomenon known to happen to cars driven by old people.