I agree, I'm with you on this. This is an old man who got very confusesd. He did not do this on purpose and putting him on jail will not solve anything here. Sure, pay restitution, but not jail time. Before my father passed away, I discouraged him from driving because I was afraid of an accident. We need to think about our own parents getting older and if they had an accident, is jail where they belong?
My Dad drove mostly locally after he was 80, almost up until he passed away at 81; but he had good mental capabilities and reflexes also up to the end. I don't know how I would have handled trying to take him off the road if he had gotten doddery. - I'm 60 yrs. old myself, and I can tell my body is backing its leg on me to a certain degree. It's difficult for 20-somethings and even 30-somethings to realize really just how fast time sometimes seems to fly and just how gradually and painfully the old arthritis (not fun) kicks in. - Twenty years ago (seems like only yesterday), when we built the house we live in now, I was still in my 30's (barely) and we made it a two-story and I could run up and down those steps. Now I take them one at a time, have moved my office downstairs and wished many times we had forgotten about an upstairs. :O(
Of course, it goes without saying that we feel sad and pray for the people killed and hurt in that tragedy; but I can also imagine an old man, probably a widower, getting himself up and ready that day, looking forward to a nice day at the farmer's market just like any of us would. It's tragic that he wasn't involved in some minor incident where the police had taken his drivers' license before this happened; but if any one of us is involved in an automobile accident that is our fault, I am sure we would fervently pray for anyone hurt or killed and their families, and for a little merciful prayer from others for ourselves instead of condemnation.
Believe me, aging and elderly people get more than their share of disrespect and contempt due to the "culture of youth" in which we live. At 60, I've already felt the sting of the "that old lady" syndrome. If only the young & semi-young & contemptuous really knew just how truly, truly fast time seems to fly.