Just because someone has several years of driving experience does not mean that they are safe drivers.  Much in the same way teenage drivers get into accidents from inexperience, experienced and elderly drivers can crash their vehicles in situations where they don’t react properly.

The San Diego Union Tribune reports that one man sustained several personal injuries after after an 86-year-old motorist hit him when he got confused between the gas and the brake pedal.  San Diego Police Department officials say the elderly man will not be criminally charged after the auto accident, but his license is suspended for the time being.

Our firm’s San Diego car accident attorneys feel that any time a person does not know the difference between the accelerator and the brake, then catastrophic injuries can be the result.

The 86-year-old motorist attempted to park his Cadillac Coupe de Ville at the Bay Ho Costco’s parking lot on a Sunday afternoon, but as he was repositioning his car, mixed up the brake and the gas, hitting the ladder and speeding backwards into a 40-year-old man loading his vehicle.  Both of the man’s kids, who were ejected through the open windows of the vehicle as they at pizza, sustained minor children’s injuries while their father received a broken pelvis, a punctured lung, and internal bleeding and required medical treatment.  The Cadillac slammed into two other cars before plowing down a fence and hitting a building.

A DMV review will determine whether or not the 86-year-old motorist’s license will be returned to him.  He will be required to take and pass a written test, a driving test and an interview before his license will be returned to him.

The car accident attorneys in San Diego who work at our law firm know that a common mistake made by elderly drivers is to mix up the gas and brake pedals, accelerating or slowing when they do not intend to, and becoming confused in the process.  It does not help that the majority of drivers over the age of 65 are on several medications that could contribute to their disorientation.  Maybe it might be a good idea to have drivers must pass a driver’s education and safety training course every couple years — regardless of age.  By doing this, everyone on the road can feel safer.

If you or a loved one were injured in an automobile accident you didn’t cause, then we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible at 1-800-655-6585 or please click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego.  We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.

About Michael Pines

Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.