92-Year-Old Causes Multi-Car Accident in Parking Lot But Won’t Be Charged
Surveillance video captured a huge multi-car accident in the parking lot of a Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Mayville, Wisconsin.
In less than 1 minute, the elderly driver of a gray minivan, who is backing out of a parking space, slams into a white car, which rolls into two other cars; the driver panics, backs into a gray Jeep, then side-swipes a silver sedan; and hits a red pick-up truck, before any other shoppers or pedestrians can intervene and help. Reportedly, he hit even more cars after he drove off-camera.
“When you look at the video, the first thought would be it’s a road-rage event or a guy trying to elude police,” Mayville police Chief Christopher MacNeill said in an interview. “The fact of the matter is the guy kind of panicked and lost control of his vehicle.”
Russell Kerr is the 92-year-old driver who caused the massive multi-car accident in the parking lot. Fortunately, none of the drivers were hurt, although 4 of the 9 cars hit had to be towed from the parking lot.
Although Kerr is a senior citizen, police reported that he seemed lucid when other emergency responders arrived on the scene. Kerr was not arrested or cited for the incident, because officers believed he simply panicked – they ruled out dementia or a medical condition that could have caused the multi-car accident.
“His foot got stuck on the accelerator, and from that point, he panicked and lost control of his vehicle,” MacNeill said.
However, Kerr’s information was forwarded to the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles, which could still revoke his license and force him to re-take a driving test. The DMV also requires senior drivers who renew their licenses to take a basic vision test.
More and More Car Accidents Caused by Distracted or Unsafe Drivers
Every 13 minutes, a car accident or crash kills someone in the United States. Fatalities range across anyone who uses roads, including drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Statistically, young people are most likely to suffer from car accident injuries and deaths. The latest AAA survey shows that while drivers understand the severity of these statistics, and understand that distracted driving, DUI, and drowsiness can cause car accidents, drivers choose to engage in these activities anyway.
Some car accidents are simply that: an accident. The driver and the victim both are blameless. Unfortunately, statistics show that more drivers than ever are ignoring laws because they do not believe they are acting in an unsafe manner, and commit DUI (which includes both alcohol and drug intoxication), distracted driving (from smart phones to eating in the car), and drive when they are too exhausted to be safe.
South Carolina Car Accident Lawyers
Depending upon the facts of your accident case, our South Carolina Multi-Car Accident Lawyers may also assert a claim for punitive damages. Punitive damages may be awarded in cases where malicious or reckless conduct may be shown.
If you or a loved one has been injured or even killed in an accident through no fault of their own, and you think that you are entitled to compensation, please contact the South Carolina accident attorneys at The Strom Law Firm, for a free consultation. 803.252.4800
