Car Plows Into Crowd: 27 People Hurt; Lamont Has Narrow Escape

[Camp_Democracy]

A man drove his car into a crowd at a New London waterfront festival Saturday afternoon, injuring more than two dozen people, police said. The car narrowly missed Democratic Senate candidate Ned Lamont, who was campaigning nearby, a spokesman said.

At least three of Lamont's campaign workers were hurt. One, Susan Goldman of Norwich, suffered a broken leg, said Lamont spokesman Tom Swan. The car missed Lamont by 6 to 18 feet, Swan said.
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-nlcrash0709.artjul09,0,4397938.story?coll=hc-headlines-local

It happened during New London's Sailfest summer festival which draws thousands every year to the town. Robert Laine, 89, was driving his Chevrolet Caprice station wagon across the tracks to get to the Fishers Island ferry along with a crowd of pedestrians Saturday.

Witnesses say after Laine struck the first passenger, the car lurched forward into the crowd which was about four- or five-people deep.

Witness Bill Hoezel told The Day of New London, "People were facing the tracks and didn't see the car coming. The car was moving probably 10 to 15 miles per hour, much quicker than someone trying to edge through a crowd. There was no warning and no screaming, just thump-thump-thump as the bodies were hit."
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7004159877

[calico1]

1. Before I read who was driving I thought

maybe Lieberman was behind the wheel. I am glad I was not there. A friend of mine tried to get me to go with her but it was too damn hot for me to want to be outdoors. With my luck I would have been one of the ones plowed down.

[Roland99]

2. Bad accident that was damn near tragic.

[Dresden]

3. Joe should have gotten....

a Republican hit man, they are much better at this sort of thing.

[last1standing]

4. This is why all states should require testing every four years.

And maybe more often once a person hits 65 or so. I've seen too many people young and old, but especially old, who have no place behind the wheel of a car.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Illinois requires a driving test every year

for people over a certain age. I think a lot of states do that any more.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

10. I think IL requires that because of a similar incident, where someone

who was either in their late eighties or in their 90s killed a few people on the path by Lake Michigan, wasn't it?

Or did they have this law before that?

[Camp_Democracy]

19. I can almost understand accidentally hitting a few people

but 27!!!! that's how many were taken to the hospital, who knows how many were actually hit.

[calico1]

6. I agree. I am 48

and hate to drive at night and try to avoid it because the glare from the car lights blind me, especially if its an SUV. I can't imagine what condition I'd be in if I were 89! Plus an older person tends to have much slower reflexes. I think one of the problems is none of the relatives want to be the one to take the key away. I know of several situations like that.

[techhead]

30. Hell, I'm 31, and because Pennsylvania

drivers seem to consider using their brights on the highway as "acceptable driving behavior", I can't see all the time when I'm driving. Fact of the matter is we lose time reacting to changes in light as we get older. Headlights are getting brighter, traffic is getting denser, and driving at night is becoming an exercise in new judgement.

For the record: IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO USE YOUR BRIGHTS WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY! Anyone in front of you gets immediately blinded by their rearview mirrors. I thought this was still taught in driving school, but apparently not.

[Warpy]

12. I started going blind 5 years ago

and became completely blind in one eye with fair sight in the other. I was still good enough to pass the DMV's vision test just before my first transplant in May. They didn't even restrict me to daylight driving although I disclosed my condition to them. I restrict myself.

Scary.

I guess in a state where a third of the drivers out at any given time are likely to be blotto, partial blindness is no big deal.

Chances are Mr. Laine had been tested recently. However, by that age, poor reaction time is normal and the testing should be modified to address the problem.

Most drivers are OK until their mid 70s. After that, they need closer assessment.

[hlthe2b]

17. Legally (at least in most states) you only have to have one eye--

as long as you have some level of vision in the remaining eye, sufficient to pass the test.

I learned this because I was going to have Lasik in one eye at a time and wanted to know if I could legally drive home as long as my untreated eye was corrected with contact lens (or previous lasik surgery). The answer is yes, as long as only local anesthetic is used...(although many might not want to, depending on ones threshold for minor discomfort).

[Skink]

7. OK who was it Limbaugh or Hannity?

[Faygo Kid]

8. It appears there were no fatalities. Whew.

How tragic. Family members need to step in and monitor their relatives' driving at that age. And earlier. AARP has a good driving course designed to sharpen skills, but they also have literature to help families in taking the keys away when that time comes.

[calimary]

9. We had a nightmare like this in Santa Monica, where a geezer who

had no business sitting behind the wheel mowed down a lot of people at an open-air farmer's market in the midst of a popular shopping mall area, killing many, injuring more. SO sad. SO needless. It didn't have to happen! He was a member of my husband's church. Everybody knew him, and knew what a ticking time bomb he was. He'd taken out the inside wall of his garage and a neighbor's fence before the accident, and those are just the incidents we know about. But nobody had the heart to take away his car keys or driver's license (not that he might not have continued driving regardless). I've seen old people like these. I've known some. They are so adamant about THEIR freedom and THEIR independence, long after they lose the ability to enjoy these rights and privileges competently and responsibly. My mother is now, in effect, an invalid since her last hospitalization. But she'd go voluntarily crawling off to Hell before she gave up that damned car of hers. She just refuses. Thank GOD her legs (and, frankly, the rest of her, too) are so weak that she can't even get up and/or walk without help, much less get in the car and operate the pedals.

[cigsandcoffee]

11. I do have some sympathy for them

It can't be an easy thing to admit to yourself that you are old and frail enough to have lost the ability to drive. I think yearly testing for folks over a certain age might be the only way to go, as it's folly to expect every person to come to the right conclusions on their own.

[calico1]

14. I know one reason some don't want to give it up is

because they still need to get errands done and have no one to do it for them. A lot of these older people are used to being self sufficient and don't like to ask for help.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

26. I agree, testing uses objective standards, and does not put the burden

of decision on either the individual, who doesn't want to (in their perception) give up their freedom, or the family members, who don't want to be a "bad guy" to the elderly family member.

[Blue_Tires]

35. whatever happened to that guy

did he go to jail or what?

[bahrbearian]

13. Was Laura Bush out campaigning for Joe?

Thanks to "itsrobert" who posted that yesterday.

[Camp_Democracy]

15. Does anyone find this story fishy?

the guy hits 27 people and gets close enough to Lamont to take out three campaign workers.

He panicked so he hit the gas pedal and drove 15 mph talking out bodies out one right after the other...

just a bad driver eh?

[Camp_Democracy]

16. gas pedal stuck?

he told one paramedic that the gas pedal stuck...but he didn't shout out the window for people to get out of the way?

[Camp_Democracy]

18. more

"Sterling resident Terrie Castagna, a former paramedic who was at the scene, said Laine was shaken and in shock after the crash, and that he told her the gas pedal had become stuck."

can a gas pedal get stuck at 15mph?

"A female passenger in his vehicle was not identified, and was not injured."
Who is this woman and why can't she be identified?

I hope this video will explain things...

"Police said it was premature to point to a cause and were still interviewing witnesses and many of those struck. Investigators will also look at any video that may have been captured by surveillance cameras used by Amtrak and the Fishers Island ferry."

[MindPilot]

23. I call "Bullshit" on the stuck gas pedal

In my 20 years of fixing cars I have seen exactly one legitimate case of a stuck gas pedal--that was a van with an improperly installed engine cover which caught the edge of the pedal.

Even if the throttle does become unresponsive, turn off the engine.

The reality is in these situations, people panic and don't know which pedal they are pushing. Consequentially they don't take the proper remedial action to ascertain the failure and stop the vehicle.

[Mugu]

28. I have noticed that at some point many older people

begin using their right foot for the accelerator and their left foot for the brake. You can recognize these folks when they accelerate from a red light or stop sign with their brake lights on. It’s basically the same as no brake lights because the lights are always on.

Anyway, they have had a lifetime of pressing with their right foot on the brake, when in a panic their subconscious takes over and presses down on the right foot, which is now on the accelerator. As the situation escalates, they press harder and harder trying to make it stop, but the more out of control the situation becomes. We’re only talking about a few seconds of confusion before everything becomes clear, but that’s all it takes.

Regards,

Mugu

[techhead]

31. You win it

Since I have watched it happen myself. You are completely correct. They think they are trying to hit the brake pedal while stomping on the gas.

They shouldn't get the oppotunity to make two foot driving necessary, in my opinion. Cars aren't designed for it, and humans aren't, either, as a result. That's why things like this happen. We should be taking care of our own so they don't have to drive if they aren't able to in a safe manner.

[Camp_Democracy]

33. but he didn't slam on the accelerator

he was only going 15mph

and he hit 27 people!! You think he would have stopped a little sooner.

[Beelzebud]

20. Wow Lieberman is really getting desperate!

:evilgrin:

[shadowknows69]

21. WTF

Did the guy driving have a copy of "catcher in the rye" on him by any chance?

[VTMechEngr]

25. LOL nt

[Justice Is Comin]

22. In Phoenix, lot of times all you

see is two hands and a hat going down the road.

[Cha]

24. And you know to

give them lots of leeway?

[Rosco T.]

29. I thought the proper description for Sunbirds in Phx was...

two knuckles and a hat?

[Camp_Democracy]

27. kick

[Rainscents]

32. Oh, man this is awful.

I'm glad, people didn't get killed. I witness to one accident 15 years ago at the doctor's office parking lot, senior citizen (around 85), he meant to put on the drive, he put his gear on the reverse and went through the office building. I couldn't believe my eyes, he did this. He did lot of damage, no one was hurt. it was :crazy:

[Ron Green]

34. We've built a national transportation system that's about 98% amateur-

operated. It's dangerous when these operators get old and shaky.