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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Driving / April 2005Car shopper, 81, hits husband, salesman, car, tree, wall
April 15, 2005 Fla. test drive totals new car, hurts husband 81-year-old woman loses control of 2005 Accord By SARAH LUNDY The News-Press of Fort Myers FORT MYERS, Fla. - When Dorothy Stump got behind the wheel to give a new Honda Accord a test drive, she stepped on the pedal - the wrong pedal. It jerked backward. Before it stopped, the 81-year-old woman had knocked down her husband, struck a salesman, smashed into a parked car, and clipped a tree before finally crashing into a wall Wednesday. "She must of panicked," said Joe Sica, sales manager at Honda of Fort Myers. Dorothy's husband, Robert Byrum, 88, of Fort Myers was hit by the car's open door, according to a Lee County sheriff's report. Then, the door hit salesman Christopher Hopper, 23, who was standing about 20 feet behind the vehicle. It kept going - hitting a parked Honda Civic, a tree and then a wall. "Fortunately, the air bag went off," Sica said, adding the driver was not injured. Byrum and Hopper were taken to a local hospital where Byrum was admitted and was in good condition Thursday afternoon. Hopper, who was hired about two months ago, was treated and released Wednesday but will be out of work for about a week, Sica said. As for the Accord, it's totaled. "You never anticipate something like this happening," Sica said. The couple will have to return to the dealership. Their trade-in, a Chevrolet, is still there. >As for the Accord, it's totaled. "You never anticipate something like >this happening," Sica said. When the driver is 81 years old, you're a fool (or a geezer with Alzheimer's) if you don't expect it... >The couple will have to return to the dealership. Their trade-in, a >Chevrolet, is still there. The dealership should sell it to help pay for all the damage this dimbot caused...  SignatureSloth Kills! http://www.geocities.com/slothkills/ > April 15, 2005 > Fla. test drive totals new car, hurts husband [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > "She must of panicked," said Joe Sica, sales manager at Honda of Fort > Myers. Now why isn't she being prosecuted?. She injured a couple people and did lots of property damage. But the CCA (criminal coddlers of america) will just call this another "accident". Around 4/15/2005 10:40 PM, Aunt Judy (Pride of Diarrhea) <http://tinyurl.com/65nqz> wrote: > Now why isn't she being prosecuted?. (A question mark /or/ a period, Judy, not both.) One word: Florida. My guess is that she whipped out her AARP card and legions of old people parachuted in, armed to the (false) teeth. Oh, wait; that was an episode of South Park. Never mind. Let's hope someone is smart enough to at least pull her license before she does some more serious harm to someone. Signature~/Garth "I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it." - Edith Sitwell (Mail pgp@v6stang.com for secure contact information) Pulling everybody's drivers license when they hit a certain age is wrong and discriminatory, and in the US loss of transportation can often be a slow death sentence for many of these people- they lose social contacts and interactions and depression increases until they lose the will to live. The fact is many people who are senior citizens have good driving skills and acceptable reaction times and abilities. Some don't, even some that are somewhat younger, due to disease (undiagnosed Alzheimer's and strokes probably being a factor). On the plus side, senior citizens are usually less likely to speed or engage in reckless driving behaviors, indeed, the risks to senior citizens are higher that they will be killed than kill somebody else- much higher. Left hand turns are one of the biggest sources of fatalities for drivers over 65. > Pulling everybody's drivers license when they hit a certain age is wrong > and discriminatory, It is not a matter of "when you hit XX years old, we're going to pull your license." Nor did I say that it was. It *should*, however, be a matter of "when you start hitting things, we're going to pull your license." No matter what the age. Signature~/Garth |"I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie. Almgren | I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave. ******* | And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant." (pgp@v6stang.com for secure mail info) --H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) >> Pulling everybody's drivers license when they hit a certain age is wrong >> and discriminatory, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >It *should*, however, be a matter of "when you start hitting things, >we're going to pull your license." No matter what the age. Yup - it's tough for old people to admit they're not safe anymore and that they should give up their keys even if they have alternate transportation readily available. > On the plus side, senior citizens are usually > less likely to speed or engage in reckless driving behaviors, indeed, the > risks to senior citizens are higher that they will be killed than kill > somebody else- much higher. Due to their poor driving and reaction times. It's no coincidence that older drivers have some of the highest fatality rates among drivers, you know. Simple yearly testing will remove the problem drivers from the road because they plow though a schoolyard or outdoor market. >> On the plus side, senior citizens are usually >> less likely to speed or engage in reckless driving behaviors, indeed, [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > It's no coincidence that older drivers have some of the highest > fatality rates among drivers, you know. I don't belive that that fatality rate is because their crashes are so much more horrendous, but that their bodies are so fraile. I drive a para-transit bus and seniors are the bulk of my customers. I have to be very careful is assisting them in and out of the bus. Never, ever grab an arm to steady them. You are lible to break it or at the very least leave a big bruse. > Simple yearly testing will remove the problem drivers from the road > because they plow though a schoolyard or outdoor market. At what age do you begin? I know some very good drivers who are in their 70's. I also know some others that should have given up in their 50's. It very tough to get a licence yanked. You need to commit criminal neglegince. BTW, Because of the CDL I hold, I have to take a knowledge test and a road test every time I renew my licence. DYM >>> On the plus side, senior citizens are usually >>> less likely to speed or engage in reckless driving behaviors, [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >their 50's. It very tough to get a licence yanked. You need to >commit criminal neglegince. And even then, you have to commit gross criminal negligence. Killing someone isn't always enough. >BTW, Because of the CDL I hold, I have to take a knowledge test and >a road test every time I renew my licence. > >DYM > I don't belive that that fatality rate is because their crashes are > so much more horrendous, but that their bodies are so fraile. Women are also more likely to die or be seriously injured in any given car accident than a man. For side impact collisions, the majority of the fatalities and serious injuries, by a margin, are women. The reduced height and reduced neck muscle strength makes them particularly vulnerable to head injuries. It's particularly bad when the other vehicle is an SUV/truck, or the driver strikes a pole. So I think by the same logic it makes sense seniors are more likely to die in the same type of accident (less muscle mass, thin bones, shorter stature, etc.). > Pulling everybody's drivers license when they hit a certain age is wrong >and discriminatory, and in the US loss of transportation can often be a slow [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >probably being a factor). On the plus side, senior citizens are usually >less likely to speed True they are less likely to speed. >or engage in reckless driving behaviors, False. This idiotic women who almost killed two people is proof of that. Very often we see old folks get behind the wheel when they know they should not be driving. That is reckless behavior. >indeed, the >risks to senior citizens are higher that they will be killed than kill >somebody else- much higher. Can you cite numbers to back up this claim? >Left hand turns are one of the biggest sources >of fatalities for drivers over 65. Funny how a simple and basic part of driving is so dangerous to drivers you think are competent. -------------- Alex > Pulling everybody's drivers license when they hit a certain age is wrong > and discriminatory, and in the US loss of transportation can often be a slow > death sentence for many of these people- they lose social contacts and > interactions and depression increases until they lose the will to live. True, and I don't think anyone here (except maybe Judy) advocates such a blanket ban. OTOH, a law mandating periodic _driving_tests_ for everyone above a certain age would be perfectly reasonable. >Around 4/15/2005 10:40 PM, Aunt Judy (Pride of Diarrhea) ><http://tinyurl.com/65nqz> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >parachuted in, armed to the (false) teeth. >Oh, wait; that was an episode of South Park. Never mind. South Park may have lampooned it, but it has a solid basis in fact. I was watching the news last night and they had a brief report about how some lawmakers had once tried to make some sort of change to Social Security. Those poor lawmakers were HOUNDED by pissed-off senior citizens until they repealed the changes. No wonder elected officials are scared shitless of senior citizens. It must be an order of magnitude worse in Florida, home of Large Print Edition road signs... SignatureSloth Kills! http://www.geocities.com/slothkills/ > Now why isn't she being prosecuted?. She injured a couple people and > did lots of property damage. But the CCA (criminal coddlers of america) > will just call this another "accident". You think she did it on purpose? You think LBMHBF thinks? Xeton2001IsAMoron.20.dwp...@spamgourmet.com wrote: > You think LBMHBF thinks? It was more a rhetorical question ;-) Perhaps because she wasn't speeding, retard? > FORT MYERS, Fla. - When Dorothy Stump got behind the wheel to give a new > Honda Accord a test drive, she stepped on the pedal - the wrong pedal. > It jerked backward. The pedal jerked backward? Wow. I've heard of adjustable pedals, but never ones that jerked backward. > Before it stopped, the 81-year-old woman had knocked down her husband, > struck a salesman, smashed into a parked car, and clipped a tree before > finally crashing into a wall Wednesday. "She must of panicked," said Joe > Sica, sales manager at Honda of Fort Myers. She must "of" panicked? > Dorothy's husband, Robert Byrum, 88, of Fort Myers was hit by the car's > open door, according to a Lee County sheriff's report. Then, the door > hit salesman Christopher Hopper, 23, who was standing about 20 feet > behind the vehicle. It kept going - hitting a parked Honda Civic, a tree > and then a wall. "Fortunately, the air bag went off," Sica said, adding > the driver was not injured. This is "fortunate" because...why, now? Was Mrs. Stump driving the Accord at 60mph in the dealer parking lot? > As for the Accord, it's totaled. "You never anticipate something like > this happening," Sica said. You, uh, don't? >>FORT MYERS, Fla. - When Dorothy Stump got behind the wheel to give a new >>Honda Accord a test drive, she stepped on the pedal - the wrong pedal. >>It jerked backward. > > The pedal jerked backward? Wow. I've heard of adjustable pedals, but never > ones that jerked backward. Mais oui. The parking brake in some vehicles is foot operated. You press it to release it. > She must "of" panicked? I'm pretty sure that's exactly how the car salesman put it. so this woman was thinking she was stepping on the parking brake, not realizing that unlike american cars, japanese cars have hand-operated parking brakes... this could be a problem with people who have only driven american cars > so this woman was thinking she was stepping on the parking brake, not > realizing that unlike american cars, japanese cars have hand-operated > parking brakes... this could be a problem with people who have only > driven american cars In those vehicles with such a parking brake, it's on the extreme left. The throttle on the extreme right. And not all 'american' cars have such a parking brake. > so this woman was thinking she was stepping on the parking brake, not > realizing that unlike american cars, japanese cars have hand-operated > parking brakes... this could be a problem with people who have only > driven american cars Sadly, not all Japanese vehicles have hand-operated parking brakes. It just occured to me that my mother's vehicle, a 1998 or 1999 Toyota Sienna actually has a parking brake like 223rem mentioned, and similarly, my dad's Mexican-made Mazda Protege has a hand brake. Mazda did used to be Japanese, but since they are pretty much controlled by Ford (I can actually get my Ford truck serviced at a Mazda dealer for this reason), I consider them an American brand. >>>FORT MYERS, Fla. - When Dorothy Stump got behind the wheel to give a new >>>Honda Accord a test drive, she stepped on the pedal - the wrong pedal. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >I'm pretty sure that's exactly how the car salesman put it. Really? Are you sure he didn't say "She must have panicked?" or "She must've panicked"? >>>FORT MYERS, Fla. - When Dorothy Stump got behind the wheel to give a new >>>Honda Accord a test drive, she stepped on the pedal - the wrong pedal. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Mais oui. The parking brake in some vehicles is foot operated. You >press it to release it. Not in no Honda Accord - they have a hand brake. >> She must "of" panicked? > >I'm pretty sure that's exactly how the car salesman put it. Dat's right! SignatureSloth Kills! http://www.geocities.com/slothkills/ Scott en Aztlán <slothkills@NOyahooSPAM.com> wrote in news:vr1461tia7hj0q7h881mko12lh73atrr56@4ax.com: >>>>FORT MYERS, Fla. - When Dorothy Stump got behind the wheel to give a >>>>new Honda Accord a test drive, she stepped on the pedal - the wrong >>>>pedal. It jerked backward. >>> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Not in no Honda Accord - they have a hand brake. I drove a 98 Windstar today that had a hand brake. DYM |
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