Accident That Killed 10 in California Might Not Result In Any Charges

InfoBeat ^ | Friday, July 18 | Gannett Press

[Calpernia]

This is just sad all the way around

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[newgeezer]

Civil lawsuits are almost certain to be filed against Weller's insurance company. ''But nobody carries enough insurance to cover this kind of loss,'' Zimring says.

Here's something else to think about. I don't know about CA, but IL requires all elderly drivers to take an annual driving test.

On the other hand, some states (I think GA is one) allow their elderly drivers to renew their driver's licenses by mail, for up to 10 years at a time. Not even so much as a vision test during all that time.

What good is that "licensing" process?

[KarlInOhio]

On the other hand, this story came out about 3 hours ago:

CHP: Driver May Have Hit Car Before Farmers' Market Tragedy

CHP: Driver May Have Hit Car Before Farmers' Market Tragedy Both Vehicles Being Examined

UPDATED: 11:59 a.m. PDT July 18, 2003

LOS ANGELES -- Police are investigating the possibility that the driver who plowed through Santa Monica's farmers market was speeding from the scene of a collision with a Mercedes before crashing through the market, killing 10 people and injuring dozens of others.

[TotusTuus]

This is just sad all the way around.

No other way to put it.

Prayers for all involved.

[Feiny]

Not only that, but this same man is on video tape in an accident 10 years ago....drove into a retaining wall!!!

[Deb]

It will interesting to see who the families find to sue. Being the Peoples Republic of Santa Monica, this could be the big one...ex-hippies, homeless advocates, and left-wing political radicals bankrupting the most leftist city (besides Berkley) in the country.

There was a letter to the editor this morning in the Times, from a woman who claimed it wasn't the driver's fault, but the fault "of access" because iron barriers weren't installed.

This is gonna be hilarious and would be worthy of a Broadway musical comedy if the circumstances weren't so unbelievably heartbreaking.

[BibChr]

This is just sad all the way around

Total, unqualified agreement.

Dan

[gov_bean_ counter]

There is no reason not to put people through a driving simulator after a certain age to assess vision and reaction time.

[BibChr]

< lighter comment warning >

Personally, I think if just all WHITE VEHICLE drivers were tested more rigorously, EVERYTHING would be better.

They are the worst drivers in the world.

</lighter comment warning >

Dan

[RoughDobermann]

He says prosecutors would have to prove that Weller knew his capacity to drive was impaired.

He hit the throttle instead of the brake to slow down. That might have been the first hint that his capacity to drive was impaired... How tragic for everyone involved.

[RoughDobermann]

Personally, I think if just all WHITE VEHICLE drivers were tested more rigorously, EVERYTHING would be better. They are the worst drivers in the world.

Nope, Mom's driving SUVs while talking on their cell phones are the worst...

[livius]

It's sad indeed, but I don't think he shouldn't be charged. I read a couple of reports where he supposedly said, "they should have gotten out of my way," and where he told a policeman, "I should have gotten you, too."

I think he was crazy - possibly senile dementia, but in any case, he should be charged and then possibly get treatment, or at least be restrained so he can't do it again.

When I was a kid, there was an old man who used to sit on his porch and shoot his BB gun at kids as they passed by on their way to school. (His family thought it would be better to give him a BB gun than let him have a real weapon.) Fortunately, in those days (1950s) it was still possible to get somebody like that out of circulation, so he didn't get to do this for very long. Obviously, his family was in denial, or they wouldn't have said, "oh, Dad's out on the porch shooting at kids, let's give him a BB gun so he doesn't actually kill them."

Perhaps this is true of this old man's family, too. I don't live in CA, so I haven't seen much detailed reporting on this. But seeing pictures of him (and he looked about 15 years younger than his given age), I'd say it's not a physical problem, but that he did this intentionally because of some horrible age-related mental glitch.

[Mercat]

When my dad was 80 years old and had Parkensons, I wouldn't let my kids ride with him. It really hurt his feelings. He had never had a ticket but he was totally in denial about his ability to drive. I'm in an office now with a man 72 years old who has the same problems. He shouldn't be driving but does. I call that negligence and justification for a charge of involuntary manslaughter. I don't think it makes any sense to put him in jail but take his license for life and keep him on probabtion for a couple of years. If he is caught driving, toss him in jail.

[discostu]

It's called failure to control, that's the ticket you get when a cop determines none of your actions were downright illegal but the accident was your fault.

And the punchline for any and all manslaughter charges is that there doesn't need to be intent, manslaughter is for negligent accidental death.

If he gets nailed with failure to control that lines him up for negligent accidental death. So there damn well better be charges.

[battousai]

"Federal officials caution against concluding that older drivers' skills are suspect. ''Just because you reach an age threshold doesn't mean your driving skills have diminished,'' says Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ''Teenagers are responsible for far more fatal accidents.'' "

love the contradictions here so becoming a teenager is not an "age threshold"?

anyway IMHO I believe there should be some sort of testing, this whole notion that you never lose you driving skills is a load of PC Barbra Striesand, "lets not offend the old people now, or they may not vote for us".

If you can't tell you are hitting the gas instead of the brakes for THREE whole blocks all while you are running over people and running through stands I would rate that a major diminishment of ones driving skills.

[ARCADIA]

There is no reason not to put people through a driving simulator after a certain age to assess vision and reaction time.

It sounds like you would volunteer to pay for it. You would spend countless dollars, harass millions of people, all in the hope of screening out one arbitrary idiot. None of which would prevent some other clown from running into a crowd of people for whatever other reason. I would rather take my chances before I create a new entitlement program.

[BlazingArizona]

Traffic laws are for people who do 48 in a 45 when the city needs revenue, not for blind geezers who mow down marketplaces full of pedestrians.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Teenagers are responsible for far more fatal accidents.

More specifically, teens who are driving other teens, which is why my teenage children are not allowed to drive other teens anywhere, nor are they allowed to ride with most teens.

[jalisco555]

Nope, Mom's driving SUVs while talking on their cell phones are the worst...

I was almost sideswiped by one of those a couple of weeks ago. She was going from the on-ramp onto the highway. I swerved to miss her just in time. She just kept driving along, yacking away. I don't think she has any idea how close she came to dying.

Driving is dangerous. If people can't give it their focused attention they shouldn't be doing it, at any age.