Posted on 10/22/2005 3:39:26 PM PDT by varyouga
Strange crash: Pedestrian lodged in windshield, driver keeps going for three miles
St. Petersburg, Florida -- Police are investigating a bizarre hit and run crash.
Investigators say 93-year-old Ralph Parker hit a pedestrian on 34th Street and 46th Avenue South on Wednesday night. He then he drove three miles with the victim's body lodged in the windshield.
Police found the victim's leg in the street at the scene of the accident.
Parker was finally stopped at the southbound toll-booth of the Sunshine Skyway, with the body still in the windshield. The toll booth operator thought it was a prank, until he saw the blood.
Parker told officers he thought a body fell from the sky. Police say he will probably not face criminal charges, because he was unaware he was in an accident.
Tampa Bay's 10 News
I read that witnesses say he wasn't speeding (about 45) and the guy walked out in front of him. His crime seems to be not stopping. He went about 3 miles I think.
OH.
Well, that makes it OK then...
Shame, really. Mr. Parker seems to have been a wonderful person, but fell victim to demetia. From the story:
Born in Aspinwall, Pa., he came here in 1969 from Avalon, Pa. He was an insurance agent for Prudential in Pennsylvania for 33 years. He was a Navy veteran of World War II and was a member of First United Methodist Church of Pinellas Park. He was a Mason for 50 years and a past president of the Avalon Borough School Board. He was a volunteer in the Avalon Borough community.
The St. Petersburg Times seems to think vehicles have a mind of their own, doesn't it? Powerboat slams into sea wall
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