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Fatal San Francisco Bay Area Car Accident Involves Elderly Driver

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A 93-year-old woman was killed in a San Francisco area car accident after she drove the wrong way on the Interstate 780 and crashed head-on into another vehicle. According to a report in the San Jose Mercury News, the fatal car accident occurred the afternoon of October 13, 2010 on the eastbound 780 near East Fifth Street in Benicia.

California Highway Patrol officials say the elderly driver was traveling in the far left lane in a Buick Regal and collided head-on with a Honda Odyssey bearing a 20-year-old female driver and two young children. The elderly driver died at the scene. The driver of the Honda sustained neck and leg injuries, while one of the children suffered facial cuts. Another child in the back seat was not injured. Officials are investigating this fatal car accident.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family of the deceased driver for their tragic loss. I’m relieved that no one in the Honda Odyssey sustained fatal or catastrophic injuries. This car accident could have been a lot worse. I wish the injured victims – the young woman and the child – the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.

Accidents Involving Elderly Drivers

This incident reminds us, yet again, about the important issue of our aging driving population. California now has almost 3 million drivers who are 65 years or older, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds fatality rates for drivers begin to climb after age 65. In 2005, about 11 percent of all fatal car accidents in the United States had involved drivers 65 or older.

When Should Seniors Stop Driving?

Based on this news report, the elderly driver had been driving the wrong way on the freeway at least from Fifth Street. It is not clear what caused the driver to become disoriented. Did she have a health condition? Did she have a valid license? I trust officials are looking into exactly what occurred here and why.

I agree it’s important for elderly drivers to have their independence. Driving gives them the freedom and mobility to take care of themselves. However, that privilege cannot come at the expense of public safety. The woman and the two children in the Honda Odyssey narrowly escaped serious injuries in this car accident. It would be in the best interests of victims of such car accidents to seek the counsel of an experienced San Francisco personal injury lawyer, who will better advise them about their legal rights and options.

Lost a family member in a San Francisco car accident? Want to know your rights? Want to know what your case is worth? Want compensation? Want justice? Want to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to another family?

Call your best friends in the legal industry after a fatal Benicia car accident. Call 866-310-5252. The call is free. The advice may be priceless.

Call a Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys San Francisco wrongful death lawyer for a free professional evaluation of your rights by attorneys who have been representing families of deceased accident victims since 1978. You will experience award winning representation and outstanding personal service by a compassionate and understanding law firm in a comfortable environment.

Do you believe more frequent and rigorous testing of elderly California drivers needs to be mandated?

The Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.

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