Elderly driver fatally strikes elderly pedestrian in Quincy

Quincy Avenue in Quincy, Massachusetts has two lanes going in either direction. There are sidewalks on either side of the road, but to cross the road there are widely spaced crosswalks at busy intersections.

At about 5:00 in the late afternoon, an 84-year-old man was crossing the street near Kam Man Market Kam Man Market when he was struck by a car driven by a 92-year-old woman. Both the pedestrian and the driver lived in Quincy. The car and pedestrian accident resulted in serious injuries for the pedestrian, who later died as a result.

The 92-year-old driver claims that the 84-year-old was attempting to run across the street and she attempted to stop her car, but was unable to stop in time. The police declined to charge the 92-year-old with a crime, but that doesn’t mean that the 84-year-old’s family is prevented from holding the 92-year-old driver liable. Perhaps a younger driver would have been able to stop in time.

According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, car accidents increase among drivers after the age of 75 and increases dramatically after age 80. There are age-related declines in vision, cognitive functioning as well as physical changes such as slowed reaction times.

According to news sources, this is the fourth fatal pedestrian accident in Quincy this year among 19 that have occurred. Whether any of the age-related mental or physical changes affected the driver’s ability to avoid the fatal accident may need to be determined in court, should the family of the 84-year-old seek to pursue wrongful death litigation.

Source: The Patriot Ledger, “Quincy man, 84, fatally injured in pedestrian accident,” Nov. 19, 2012