Posted on 10/22/2005 2:10:25 PM PDT by twippo
ST. PETERSBURG -- A 93-year-old driver apparently suffering from dementia fatally struck a pedestrian, then continued driving through a toll booth with the man's body on his windshield, police said.
Ralph Parker of Pinellas Park drove for 3 miles Wednesday night after striking the 52-year-old pedestrian with his gold 2002 Chevrolet Malibu, severing the man's right leg, police said.
A toll taker on the Sunshine Skyway saw the body stuck through Parker's windshield and notified police, Traffic Homicide Investigator Michael Jockers said.
Authorities did not identify the pedestrian.
Parker was hospitalized overnight with minor scrapes, and was expected to be taken to an elder care facility, Jockers said.
Charges were not likely to be filed, because Parker did not appear to know what had happened, where he was nor the correct date, said Bruce Bartlett, chief assistant in the Pinellas-Pasco County State Attorney's Office.
"He may have somewhere in his mind have realized it was a crash, but immediately forgot about it," Jockers said.
Police took Parker's license, which he renewed in 2003.
"That was the one thing he had, to get in his car and just drive for the sheer enjoyment of driving," Jockers said. Parker lived alone after his wife died in 1998, according to authorities.
A spokesman for the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said the agency would conduct its own inquiry into whether Parker, who otherwise had a clean driving record, should have had a license.
Seniors age 80 or older must pass only a vision test when renewing a Florida driver's license.
The story is from Wednesday and Boortz talked about it on Friday.
This is old news.
"Charges were not likely to be filed, because Parker did not appear to know what had happened, where he was nor the correct date"
Yet, he was perfectly able to get into his car, start the ignition, put the car into "drive" but has no idea what happened. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...............
This is old news.
Well I didn't read it on Wednesday and didn't hear Boortz on Friday so it's new to me. Sheesh....
I'll have to remember that next time I'm pulled over with a body through my windshield.
Now where was I...oh yes, I'm thinking that I'll have to remember this one next time I'm pulled over for having somebody sticking out of my windshield.
...Damn, now what was I going to say? I know I hit the reply button for some darned reason. Oh yeah! Now I remember. Next time I'm pulled over for having somebody hanging out of my windshield, I ought to take a page from this guy here and say I don't remember nothing....
...Now what was it this thread was all about? Something about some old guy driving with a body through his windshield. Oh yes! I'll have to remember that next time I got some moron hanging out of my windshield....
I doubt the guy who got creamed enjoyed the old man's driving.
Don't worry about it...this board has a fair number that get that "power jolt" by pointing out duplicate threads, etc.
Also in FL, yesterday or the day before, an eighty something year old lady hit the gas when she was in reverse and plowed into and Albertson's door. Then she tried to "fix" it and floored it forward, hitting three cars in the parking lot. She said "maybe I should stop driving now." No injuries reported.
I don't see why this is so hard to believe. For some people, cognitive decline might mean they lose their short-term memory while keeping all their long term memory.
They still remember everything they've learned in the past, before they lost their short-term memory, but new memories are impossible.
They can't tell you what happened even 5 minutes ago.
Somebody already posted earlier how there are a fair number of busybodies around here who get on a "power trip" by pointing out duplicate threads, etc.
"A spokesman for the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said the agency would conduct its own inquiry into whether Parker, who otherwise had a clean driving record, should have had a license.
Seniors age 80 or older must pass only a vision test when renewing a Florida driver's license."
When I got my FL license renewed, an 80-ish lady was in front of me in line. The official asked her to step onto a marked area so they could test her vision, and she COULD NOT SEE THE LARGE PAIR OF FOOTPRINTS DRAWN ONTO THE FLOOR MARKING WHERE SHE SHOULD STAND! Shockingly...they GAVE HER A LICENSE. I was outraged...even asked the DMV weenie how he could determine if she could see or not.
His answer? A frown and a shrug, a non-answer. Gee, thanks, Florida!
Considering that "Seniors age 80 or older must pass only a vision test when renewing a Florida driver's license", it's only incredible that this doesn't happen more often.
"Somebody already posted earlier how there are a fair number of busybodies around here who get on a "power trip" by pointing out duplicate threads, etc."
And then there are those of us that love to do nothing more than to continue to embarass the busybodies by being the third person to point out their rudeness. *Smirk* :)
I agree. Old people in cars are dangerous, especially in the great numbers that are concentrated in FL or AZ, etc.
Granted, they're still not as dangerous as my 18 year old son who is still tenuously holding a valid Wisconsin Driver's License, but I can always hope he forgets to pay a parking ticket or something and loses the "privledge" to drive until he's THIRTY years old or so. I know I, as well as other Wisconsinites, would sleep better at night. ;)
If he had been driving an SUV the headline would have read "SUV strikes pedestrian the drives 3 miles before stopping".
Oh, by the way, this has been posted before. Just thought you'd like to know. ;^)
Man I swear here in Florida we have nutjobs like this one driving all the time.
Pretty crazy really. I mean loads of bluehairs driving blind, with demintia, alzheimers, and just plain old and crazy.
Lots of fun.
This post reminds me of a joke,( that I put on the other thread) and I can't remember the comic's name who did it to give them the credit.....
"When I die, I want to die quietly in my sleep, like my grandfather, and not screaming hysterically like the passengers who were riding in his car........."
As long as you're only hitting Dims, carry on! ;)
Huh? And guess what. Even if they take his license, he'll just drive without it. Sounds like Grandpa needs to have his car keys taken away from him as well. Has he no family?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.