85 Year Old Crashes Car Into School Cafeteria - Kills 8 Year Old - $500 Fine & Loss Of License

[matcom]

<snip>

The 85-year-old woman who crashed into a school cafeteria and caused the death of a second-grader pleaded guilty on Thursday to failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, gave up her driver's license and agreed to pay a $500 fine.

Grace V. Keim entered her guilty plea to the traffic charge before St. Clair County Associate Circuit Judge Heinz M. Rudolf.

The order signed by Rudolf states Keim has relinquished her driver's license and agrees not to reinstate it.

The parents of Ryan Wesling filed a wrongful death suit that was assigned to Circuit Judge Robert LeChien on July 18. The next court date is scheduled for Oct. 18.

A police investigation revealed Keim lost control of her 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier on East Julie Street near Shiloh School on Jan. 29 when she tried to turn the car around, but it left the road, crossed a sidewalk, hit a retaining wall and continued across the cul-de-sac at the end of the street before crashing through the west wall of the school cafeteria where Ryan, 8, and Kamron Stevens and Alexander Daniels were finishing lunch.

Kamron and Alexander received superficial injuries.

http://www.bnd.com/homepage/story/96059.html

[BlooInBloo]

1. Not sure what more you can/should do to an 85 year old.

EDIT: typo.

[Darth_Kitten]

2. Gee, didn't know old people got a pass......

on doing anything they want, without any consequences.

[VenusRising]

3. I don't think the woman WANTED to kill that kid.

I didn't read any malicious intent at all in the article.

It was a horrible accident.

[Darth_Kitten]

4. I don't think the parents wanted a dead child either........

Sorry, but some people shouldn't be on the road. You see some of these older people going through red lights all the time, and they have these blank looks on their faces, TOTALLY oblivious to the world around them.

Then again, I'm not sorry. Too many people think driving is their right. Bull.

[VenusRising]

5. I agree with you.

But she isn't getting a pass.

She went to court and a decision was made.

The parents are exercising their right to use the court system as well.

I just don't see where she is "doing whatever she wanted, without any consequences".

[BlooInBloo]

6. Who said anything about getting a pass, O manufactured outraged one?

[Darth_Kitten]

12. That's my opinion, O manufactured outraged one?

Cut the patronizing tone, I didn't kill anyone. :eyes:

[Connonym]

8. It's not about getting a pass

Would it be better to lock the lady up in jail? Of course it's a tragedy but it was an accident. The loss of cognition with aging can creep up a person and sometimes it takes something big (hopefully not deadly) to realize that it's become a problem. She won't be driving again and it's awful that it took something traumatic to come to that realization but really what purpose would be served in further punishing her? I think a better idea would be to mandate regular license renewals with driving tests for seniors.

[BlooInBloo]

9. I've long been a proponent of yearly driver's tests for 65+ folks.

[Darth_Kitten]

13. O, well WHY so bothered about my post then?

:eyes:

[cobalt1999]

14. Life would be much safer here in Florida with that in place

Of course, the elderly are the largest and most consistent voters in this state, so that will never happen. :shrug:

[JANdad]

7. Well...I'm guessing if I did that

I would spend SOME time in jail for vehicular homicide/manslaughter...just sayin'

[Blue_Tires]

10. +1

i am reminded of that senior that drove into a crowd and killed 12 people in calif. a few years ago...don't remember his sentence, though...

but there has to be more scrutiny at the dmv for senior drivers

[Gormy Cuss]

11. Not necessarily.

Very few drivers go to jail for vehicular manslaughter. Most receive fines, probation, and suspended licenses. Learned that the hard way when a friend was killed by a teen driver who was speeding and trying to multi-task with electronic gadgets--end result was the young driver rounded a corner too tightly and more than half of his car was in the opposing lane. He walked away from the head-on crash, my friend was DOA. The sentence was a fine and one year's revocation with an exemption for driving to work. He's now back on the road and maybe has learned a lesson, maybe not. My friend is still dead.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

15. this is why everyone over 60 should have to take routine retests

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

16. If the woman were younger, I guarantee vehicular homicide would be the charge.

I have no doubt about it.