87 year old driver kills 10 people

[Shi Huangdi]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,107451,00.html

LOS ANGELES — An 87-year-old man was charged with manslaughter (search) Monday in the deaths of 10 people who were killed when his car barreled through a farmers market last summer, authorities said.



George R. Weller (search) faces 10 felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence stemming from the July crash, which also injured 63 people, prosecutors said.

"The district attorney's office strongly believes that this tragic incident should be addressed in the courtroom," said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for county prosecutors.

Calls to Weller's attorney, Jim Bianco, were not immediately returned Monday. Bianco has described the crash as an accident and said Weller "suffers every minute" because of the tragedy.

Weller's daughter, Meredith Eden, declined to comment Monday.

Weller, of Santa Monica (search), agreed to surrender to authorities Tuesday morning, Gibbons said. He faces sentences ranging from probation to 18 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Police had asked prosecutors to bring a manslaughter case after a five-month investigation concluded that the tragedy was the result of unsafe speed and other violations.

Police said Weller didn't try to stop his car as he sped nearly 1,000 feet along the Santa Monica street where the market was held, smashing produce stands and leaving dozens injured in his wake.

Authorities say Weller likely hit the gas instead of the brake, reaching speeds of more than 60 mph.

Santa Monica Police Chief James Butts said in December that Weller had been "at best negligent in his operation of a motor vehicle," and that Weller's ill health and reduced mobility might have been factors.

Friends and relatives say that since the accident, Weller has gone from an open and friendly man to a virtual recluse.

He rarely leaves home and is hooked to an intravenous line 24 hours a day, the Los Angeles Times reported. He no longer takes part in the community activities that once occupied his days.

Bonnie Kramer, a longtime friend, said Weller was devastated by the knowledge that he'd hurt or killed people.

"It's like a heavy cloak that he wears," she told the Times.

We really need to a better job in preventing this, I think once you reach a certain age you should face periodic driving tests to make sure you are still fit..

[Inverse Icarus]

KILL THE ELDERLY!

[Oncle Boris]

Again GTA's fault!

Ban the game and not the guns!

[Patroklos]

There was a Simpsons episode about this.

But seriously, this is not an isolated incident. How many times have you seen nothing an old woman hunched over the steering wheel, bouncing from curb to curb?

It isn't a rights issue, it is a skills and abilitiy issue.

[Ecthy]

Cars don't kill people, drivers do.

[Patroklos]

That would be the point of the article.

[Ecthy]

Guns don't kill people. People kill people.

PC people don't kill old people. Cars kill old people.

[chequita guevara]

I witnessed an accident in Chicago in which an 80+ year old woman hit 14 people. Three of them later died.

Personally, I think everyone should have to retake their tests everytime the get their icense renewed. Most people are idiot drivers and get sloppy and forget the rules of the road.

[VJ]

We report... You decide. FOX NEWS!

[Shi Huangdi]

Better yet, just ban Floridians from driving outside of their state.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Hell, just ban 'em from leaving. Build a wall around the place.

[Harry Tuttle]

Have everyone take the exam every five years, It'll weed out the blind and incompetent.

Side Note: Traveling to a town festival on day, driving down a two lane one way and happened to notice cars swerving off the road ahead. So I pull over... Lo and behold I spy a white caddy driving into on-coming traffic, going 55 mph with an elderly man and woman in the front seats, TOTALLY oblivious to what they are doing. The driver didn't even looked slightly concerned that he was driving the wrong way...

Damn old people. I'm sending robots to eat your medicine!

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
Better yet, just ban Floridians from driving outside of their state.

Most Floridians learned to drive someplace else, like NY and New Jersey.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Harry Tuttle
Have everyone take the exam every five years, It'll weed out the blind and incompetent.

While I agree, it would be political suicide.

[germanos]

Life in prison for the old fart

Better still: 10 times Life

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

If they can't punch a chad....

[Harry Tuttle]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


While I agree, it would be political suicide.

I don't know... My state has just decided to start enforcing another stringent law that requires drunk drivers to put bright yellow license plates with red letters on their vehicle. A "shame" motivation to not D&D I guess.

A judge running for office could use the 5 year test as a decent platform plank I think. I think a lot of voters would support it, or at least a short written exam with an eye check.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Ahh the scarlet letter approach. Reprehensible.

[Harry Tuttle]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe
Ahh the scarlet letter approach. Reprehensible.

Yeah, it applies to first timers to....

[Jac de Molay]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe
Ahh the scarlet letter approach. Reprehensible.

Yeah, thank Mothers Against Drunk Driving for these bullshit draconian laws. We just had our limit lowered to .08, which is completely ridiculous.

A judge running for office could use the 5 year test as a decent platform plank I think. I think a lot of voters would support it, or at least a short written exam with an eye check.

I could visualise a reverse bell curve of sorts in terms of the frequency for administering tests. Lots of testing when you first get a license, less, then more again at the much older ages.

[Theben]

Originally posted by Harry Tuttle


I don't know... My state has just decided to start enforcing another stringent law that requires drunk drivers to put bright yellow license plates with red letters on their vehicle. A "shame" motivation to not D&D I guess.

I can't say I'd support such a measure. It'd invite attacks on the person by people who are unconnected with the particular crime.

What about New Jersey and Maggie's Law? What do people here think of that?

[Brundlefly]

Wonder if the old guy drove himself to the police station to surrender this morning. Or whether he's driving up and down bridge suspension cables right now like Mr. Magoo.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Originally posted by Theben


I can't say I'd support such a measure. It'd invite attacks on the person by people who are unconnected with the particular crime.

What about New Jersey and Maggie's Law? What do people here think of that?

Stricter sentencing. Once you've paid your debt you've paid your debt.

Keep the monsters off the streets by locking them up forever.

[Theben]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe


Stricter sentencing. Once you've paid your debt you've paid your debt.

Keep the monsters off the streets by locking them up forever.

Re: to the 1st sentence or 2nd?

[Shi Huangdi]

I don't think most people would support mandatory re-tests for everybody every 5 years. Most tests require you to do paralell parking, which many people don't remember how to do.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

1st of course. Can't think of much more evil a crime than Pedophilia. Nothing but victimizing innocents. The crime that keeps on hurting.

[Theben]

pedophilia? Who mentioned that?

[Arrian]

Mandatory testing a regular intervals would be good, certainly.

Another issue is that of medication. I think lots of these elderly drivers who fall asleep at the wheel and whatnot are on medication that may be the primary cause of it. I don't know if the medication has enough warnings on it, or if there are laws in place to punish those who drive while on such medication.

My uncle (in law) recently had his 2nd or 3rd accident due to falling asleep at the wheel, largely due to medication (apparently. they're down in NC, and I only hear what my mother relays to me, and since I don't really care...). Anyway, the guy just shouldn't be on the road.

-Arrian

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Maggie's law for sexual offenders. My mind keeps jumping to worst case situations.

[Theben]

Do'h! I meant the new law in Jersey that targets sleepy drivers. Why was I thinking Maggie's law?

Well anyway, New Jersey is considering a law that would target drivers that haven't slept for over 24 hours.