Is the pet ok?

The vehicle must have been on a slight incline and left/turned off in neutral. Obviously it couldn't have been left in reverse or it would have remained in place once the engine stopped. I have a standard and have occasionally turned it off in neutral BUT with the handbrake on. People....the handbrake is there for a reason. Please use it!

probably shouldn't have been driving at that age.

Left engine running, car not in park and she was planning on walking away from it?

Mandatory driver's exam at age 72 and each renewal thereafter.

I didn't read that the engine was on, just not in park.

lyseypug - Hopefully, you already know this, but your comment was insensitive and stupid! So, why bother commenting?

This has happened to younger driver's also.

this is an awful thing. My thoughts and pray go out to her husband, family and loved ones. Yes, we could have extened dicussion about how this thing happened or about older people driving -- but that is for another time.

Well Whatever, it was a thoughtful attempt.

@blackbird, your post makes sense if the car was an older car. However, today's cars won't turn off if they are not in park. This is just so sad.

It is not an age related accident. It only takes a moment to become distracted and forget something. I have witnessed individuals in their 20's and 30's and 40's and 50's make similiar mistakes. However, as we age we do become more 'fragile'. For example, a slip and fall in the 20's and 30's might be an ouch moment and bruises shortly after, while a slip and fall in the 70's and 80's can be more serious with a hip fracture. My grandpa slipped and fell in his driveway at the age of 82 and injured his hip. He passed away from complications shortly after. Meanwhile, my uncle in his fifties slipped and fell in his driveway, passed out and came too, took some over the counter headache medicine and took a nap. He was fine after a couple days. (We live in an area with snow and icy conditions).

Wow, some of the posts here are shameful!

I am decades younger than Mrs. Hamilton, and I have mistakenly left my vehicle in neutral (thinking it was in park) more than once. And I think that on every occasion it was simply a moment of inattention caused by distracted thoughts. A sick beloved pet, or an unhappy child in the car-seat fussing for attention, ...any number of things can contribute to such a moment of inattention (not to mention the combination of the mechanics of a transmission and incline).

I think that any of us who would attempt humor or political spin in this thread, or would presume to lay blame for this accident on the woman's age, gender, political affiliations, etc. ....are really only making statements about their own shortcomings as human beings (and publicly displaying their diminished self worth).

The absence of personal insight, integrity, humility and a moral compass gets you to that dark place. I can only imagine it must be very bleak where you people live?

Do you ever wonder if others will mock you, when the day of your own demise arrives? How does that make you feel?

That's right Blackbird. It could happen with a standard - I have not driven one recently (now 64 years old) so I do not know. But at her age, she should not be driving one of those either. If she was, this is the logical result. Yes, I am laying the blame on her age.

This is very sad - deepest sympathies to Rep. Hamilton and the entire family.

Please accept our deepest condolences. So very sorry for these circumstances and may we all, in her honor, vow to be commited to being very careful in similar instances, so as not to injure ourselves or others. May she rest in heavenly peace.

@ 7.62mm

Disgraceful.

really great gran? Why is it that democrats can lie, make nasty remarks (you should have seen the awful remarks about Ann Romney), hatred and sarcasm and that's ok but let someone from another party and you're all offended and upset. Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black.

My mother had a similar accident at 80 years of age. At 80 she was more vital than people half her age. She was also out doing something for her children.You couldn't keep her down. I never would have wanted to lose her in an accident but I am thankful she had a full life to the end of her life. She practiced the art of nursing until she was 70 and raised 6 children and was loved by ALL her family, friends, and most likely even her enemies if she had any. I read some of the comments and realized I liked mine better. You see, I only hope I can live that long and vital and Still be out and about. My sympathy is with her husband and her dog who will miss her also.

To bad this happened. I was wondering how she got the key out of the car. If it's not in park you can't remove the key

Really people? Can we leave the politics and ageism out of it for now? These things happen to young people too, too Republicans, Democrats in all walks of life. Shame on you Dotties girl, 7.62, Greatgran and all of you who blamed it on her age. A very sad thing happened and I say; may she rest in peace and my condolences to her family.

This is truly an unfortunate, tragic incident. However, the statement that "They were going to have a life together" is an idiotic one. That is something that is said about newlyweds, not 80-year-olds.

...it’s not easy to hold up a family when one person has to give up so much time to do a job. And it’s no ordinary job; it was serving the people of this country.

That is also complete hogwash. Members of Congress are some of the most highly paid, laziest people in the country. Congress is always in recession and they only work for their reelection. Lee Hamilton is exactly what the founders of this nation did not want...a career representative.

sparklystar - you are wrong. Today's cars can be turned off without being in park if the key or key casing is worn or defective. It is possible to turn off my car's engine without shifting into park. I asked about the problem at the Toyota dealership. They first blamed the key being worn, but it is a new key. They then said that the mechanism into which the key fits to turn on the engine needs to be replaced.

Industrial Strength -There is nothing wrong with people driving at this age. If anything, older people need the option of driving because they are often living alone with no one to run their errands. I know many older people who are much more astute than the younger generation. After all, who is more likely to kill or be killed in an accident...a 20-year-old who is driving while texting or an alert 82-year-old driver who is paying attention to traffic? Just wait until you turn 72, if you make it that far, and you will have a totally different outlook.

DARWIN LIVES !!

Hamilton was a great example of the statesman that is truly missed in Washington DC in today's pathetic society. He worked with people and got things done, not always perfect but always moving forward. Obama and Congress you should be half as good as Lee was as a representative and leader of this great country.

Sorry for your horrific loss Mr. Hamilton, the poor man lost the love of his life. Bless you Lee going forward.

Industrial strength-I knew I'd see a comment like yours on here. Check the stats for the highest number of fatal auto accidents. It's in the 30-50 year old range. Those are the most aggressive, dangerous drivers. I deal with them daily.

Well what can one expect from a democrat other then making bad decisions

Classic example of everything that's wrong with conservatives. They profess to love God, but whenever tragedy strikes they show their true hypocritical nature and use the tragedy to ridicule people and make political statements instead of offering their sympathies. Whatever happened to WWJD? Would Jesus respond in such a manner? I have a newsflash for you Righties...it's not always about politics, and it's not always about you, so grow up and get over it!

@sparklystar - yes you can turn the car off when it's not in park. I have accidentally done so but always realized in as soon as I did.

It is true that age is not necessarily to blame, but let's face it, once someone is over 75 there is a good chance they should not be driving. What if the person who had died was a young child?

I have also known 85-year-olds who were perfectly good drivers, much better than some half their age - but they are the exception.

Why is it insensitive that I cared about the condition of the pet? Sorry, but I'm an animal lover. Guess that's insensitive nowadays.

Democrats or republicans nothing. no one deserves to die, this is a terrible accident. hope we all learn to be more careful when operating moving heavy machines.

3 kids and 5 grandkids and "They were going to have a life together"?

Whose life were they living when they were having kids?

For those trying to minimize, if not outright ignore, the role age may have had in this are being naive. Granted some people may live longer, healthier lives than others but age definitely plays a role in determining outcomes. Giving examples of friends/family not having apparent health issues does not negate this one.

Blackbird, no, an automatic transmission, in drive or reverse, in a vehicle turned "off" will roll as if in neutral. Sad, very sad, sorry for the family.

And even sorrier for gamer(moron)4life. Do me a favor will ya? Go shut your car off (oh! Wait! You have to HAVE a car first), in gear, on a big hill, then walk behind it. THEN I will laugh you IDIOT. If you ever got a real job and left Moms basement you, too, could be rich. You must be a WoW player. I played it for a few months, found one human being and a bunch of stoners and pre-pubes. I'm assuming you're both.

Lynseypug

I for one failed to see any disrespect for inquiring about the the status of the pet. Some people like to come to the vine just to pick others statements apart it boost them back up on their pedestal so they can look down on others without conscience

soryy mr i dropped out of high school, have no debt, am more educated then you, have a job where i work lax hours, and make good money.. I know you wish i lived as you but the sad fact is you are a disgrace with your pathetic debt that you want me to pay off and you are too brainwashed to understand the simple facts that you get played on a daily basis and you eat it up with a spoon. Ohh and by the way i make games not play games. ya you hate the fact games are pushing the top spot even compared to hollywood money. ya i smoke weed to aint that a bitch a stoner who is twice the man you are.. but yet you are conned to think smoking weed is like crack... if you take your masters word for it... zombie. i didnt hate on you first i hated on the crooked fool the article is about what you dont think karma catches up to these criminals more so then the ones in jail? you have a lot to learn young padawon.

Lynseypug But then I scroll down and read the comment you made below. That one is insensitive thanks for suckering me into your defense

Gamer4life

Take your meds dude

I like the ones about the pet. Now think about it people. She turned off the car left the keys inside because she would only be a moment. That id why the car is not in park. If it was in park she should have the keys with her. Now here is the good part they said she was going around the car to get to the pet on the passenger side. Come on guys she didn't get that far. The pet was fine watching the car run over her.

How do you know that the pet wasn't so traumatized by seeing her get run over that it committed Hari Kari and steered the vehicle into traffic?

They had money the car had to be newer one and of the 12 air bags would have saved the pet

Older people are more likely to be injured severely than younger people. However, they are not that much more, if at all, more likely to cause an accident. See the statistics "1114 - Licensed Drivers and Number in Accidents by Age" at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/transportation/motor_vehicle_accidents_and_fatalities.html

This kind of stuff happens all the time. Another 'Right' people have, ya right.

Which party want to keep their nose outta other people's business???

The guy was on a bike path when he was hit, for crying out loud.

Pry the keys out of my cold dead hand...

http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front_page/article_a8f2ca7e-dd28-11e1-ae82-0019bb2963f4.html

NEA Exec:

Possession of a driver's license is not a 'right'; a huge amount of responsibility goes along with having one....the least of which is knowing when to give it up.

Its pretty apparent that you will not be one of those responsible people - hopefully (for those unlucky enough to be around you) you won't slaughter innocent people because of your 'pry it out of my cold dead hands' attitude. God help pedestrians in your area.

Agree, Uncle. When I was a fireman we saw FAR too many accidents caused by and involving seniors due to absent mindedness and confusion. I have nothing against the elderly, I'm getting close to being so myself, but steps need to be taken.

Wow. A woman lost her life and that is your comment? It scares me how casually cruel people are now.

To Uncle Henry and Liberalssuc:

Why would you say 82 year olds should not be driving? Why would you say "the Old Bag" should not have been driving in the first place? Have you never, ever in your life made a mistake while behind the wheel of a car... gone to fast, failed to stop at a stop sign, bumped the curb when you park, perhaps put it into the wrong gear? Do you text while driving, chat on your cell phone with it plastered to your ear, do you have full control of your car then? This was an accident that could happen to anyone if they are stressed about their pet, or any other number of stressors. The family has lost a dear member of their family, why not show some compassion rather than showing us you are a smart ass.

As for driving at an older age I think people should take a driving test yearly after age 75. Maybe when you reach 82 someone in your family will take your license and car away from you. Will you be ready for that?

Wow liberalssuc... If you are what the alternitive to being liberal is, than I'll suc all day long .You really do not deserve to be breathing oxygen .I can only imagine the lines to piss on your grave when your gone.

Impressive display of bravado, liberalssuc. Somebody's wife, mom and, probably grandmother died and you used you first ammendment right to show the world how smart you are at their expense. What happens when it happens to you?

liberalssuc Great comeback , your raperier wit is mind boggling. No wonder your a repubterd you can't help it.

If you should be blessed with long life as this wonderful woman has, will you give up your driving privilege, just to satisfy some hardened idiot like you, who has no compassion for your parents, grand-parents, children, grand-children, siblings, spouse or yourself. You may have to spend time in a mental health institution,or a prison, due to your lack of emotional stability.

My post #4.8 was in response to,~~ Liberalssuc #4

What else would you expect from a conservative? Typical Rightie...pretend they're so Christian and loving but show their true hateful, hypocritical nature whenever tragedy strikes. Would Jesus respond in such a manner, and how can you justify it? Whether you Righties realize it, every time you behave this way you're driving us Independents over to the dems; why should we vote for a president who attracts hateful followers such as you? Thanks to you and Romney's selection of Ryan, I've now made up my mind and will NOT be voting for Romney in November, and if you don't like it that's too bad.

LiberalIssue:: What old bag? You must be commenting on YOURSELF.

I'd love to see YOUR driving record. It probably is all full of voilations-- so full up that you shouldn't be driving.

There's a "Code of Honor" on here? Seriously?

yes apparently there is a code of honor although it only applies if you arent a liberal.

From your description, it almost sounds like they are using the same shifter that they are using on the new Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town and Countries. I rented one once on a family trip, it's actually not so bad. The shift pattern is the same, the gate is the same, it's just on the dash instead of the column or floor.

The gear selector on the 3rd generation Prius that my mom drives is much screwier. It has a push button for park, and the gear lever stays in the center when not touched. You nudge it this way and that to select neutral, reverse, and drive. How they got around the PRNDL regulation, I have no idea.

I think he is talking the paddle shifters they use on sport cars for going up and down gears. I guess the shift on the dash would have to have a manual mode

Charger12,

I know exactly what he means, the Chrysler that I rented had the shift paddles on the steering wheel too, and the shifter on the dash had an "M +/-" mode as well in addition to the traditional "D". Like I said, it's actually not that bad of a layout.

In your wife's case this was tragic but understandable as a child was sitting in the car. However, it is hard for me to wrap my head around this as the article gives the impression that the lady was alone with the pet; no one else in the car which makes it a true accident. But if she got out and did not put it in Park (leaving it in Drive because there would be no reason to shift to Neutral) how could it roll backward? And if she shifted to Neutral instead of Park so she could turn off the car and take the key out, which is what we would normally do, what, or was she thinking? It had to be a real old model car where the key could come out with the car still in Drive. If she was indeed alone, then she should have stopped driving long ago. However, this is a sad freak accident for the family to deal with.

My mother had a similar accident-her car was in between park and reverse. She was able to remove the key. She ran herself over, broke her leg and fractured her spine. She was in rehab for several weeks where there was 2 other seniors recovering from the same kind of accident!

You can be sure we got rid of that car.

But if she got out and did not put it in Park (leaving it in Drive because there would be no reason to shift to Neutral) how could it roll backward?

Pansi - if you can't figure that one out, then you have even less reason to be driving than you claim that she had. A car can roll backward if is it in drive and parked on an incline, Einstein. It doesn't even have to be much of an incline, just a minimal slope. And you honestly think that she should have stopped driving long ago? I would say that you never should have been allowed to start driving if you really can't figure out how a car can roll backward.

If an automatic is shut off in drive it will role if on a hill because the engine is not spinning the torque converter to give it forward or stop motion. Some automatic will roll if in drive and on a hill thats why we have our foot on the brake waiting for the train

Isn't it funny it's the cars fault LOL

They have found over the years it wasn't the cars fault. Always human error

thank you captain obvious?

And yet far more accidents come from young males. Hmmm.

this is why super old people shouldn't drive.

I disagree. If they are really super they're likely invincible or have lightning-fast reaction times or some other crazy power. I'm all for them driving.

Now if they are "super-old people" then yes, I agree.

It wasn't her actual driving that was the problem. At 82, I hope I'm still running errands, too.

Hey there D Urbanski: it's not just "old" people who have accidents; my 35 y/o sister in law forgot to put on the emergency brake on HER car and it rolled down an incline, fortunately did not hit any person but damaged her car when it hit a parked truck. SO...get over fixating on "old" people; this was a tragic accident and could happen to YOU.

Buffalo,

May be true but young males probably drive a lot more than "super old" people.

D,

82 is not super old. And we don't know what happened. The animal she was taking to the vet could be responsible somehow. If it was her fault, you would think the car would have started rolling immediately not after she got out and walked behind it.

Not necessarily on the rolling immediately. I've managed to accidentally knock my standard into neutral in the garage and it waited until the door was down before it decided to roll back (I had plenty of time to walk behind it and close the garage door). It's a little tricky to get get it off the door so you can get it open when the driver's side is on the opposite side of the vehicle from the door into the house. According to the people online here I should immediately stop driving because I'm apparently too old.

Perhaps it did start rolling immediately. Vehicles usually start out slowly and gain speed as they roll faster and faster. If the lady was distracted by her pet or the heat and failed to notice at first, it could have knocked her down from the side. If she were late for the appointment that explains all.

And yet far more accidents come from young males. Hmmm.

Good comment, Buffaloes Roam. That is why insurance companies charge higher rates to young male drivers.

durbanski-Another ignorant comment. By far the most dangerous drivers are 30-50 year olds. Check the stats.

I'd much rather drive around elderly people than the a holes in their trucks, SUV's, dump trucks, 18-wheelers who drive 15 mph over the speed limit, at the same time tailgating and often yapping on their cell phones. Not to mention the newest trend, which is to start to pull out of a side street as one is approaching their stop.

I'm with you on that, a lot of folks want to make this a political or old age issue when it may be a manufacturing or design change issue. We really don't know, the only problem with age is that she may not have been spry enough to hop out of the way. I think further details should be published.

To Troy: I noticed that as well. I wonder if it was in neutral, rather than reverse, and on a slight incline, and thus just gradually started rolling?

To the room: Regardless, this sounds like a terrible accident that could befall anyone - whether they are past their prime or their attention is diverted by children or pets in the car, cell phones, a heated discussion with someone, etc. etc. etc. Or it could have been a failure of the car itself. Plenty of folks age 82 are competent drivers, and plenty of folks younger than that are not. We don't know enough to place blame on this woman's age or anything else.

So, let's all agree to be careful out there. Deal?

My sympathies to this very nice-sounding lady's family.

@ Troy

That is what happened, the Brakes were on Break!

You know nothing about physics than because you are assuming the car was parked on an incline that would have made it start rolling as soon as it was taken out of gear in which case when she went to get out the car would have been rolling and she could have stopped it. Sometimes depending on the degree of the incline it takes moments and even sometimes minutes before enough momentum builds up before the car starts to roll. A neighbor across the street had an incline before his garage door paand i was sitting there one day after he went into the house and drank a half glass of iced tea before his car rolled back down that inclineand just missed another car coming down the street.

LOL

Geez, smarterthanu, there should be a ban on lack mature judgment, absurdity and fallacious reasoning when posting comments.

I was thinking the same thing. She more than likely left the keys in the ignition.

Depending on the age and make of the car, the key could be removed in neutral.

If the car was placed in reverse, with the engine off, an automatic transmission can slip at low speeds, as indeguate pressure exists to engage the clutch plates in the transmission. Such slippage would build speed over time, so it may not have been immediately obvious. Plus, we don't know the configuration of the parking area, it may have a steeper grade as you move away from the curb.

In either case, Mrs. Hamilton was probably preoccupied with the comfort and health of her pet; concentrating on that, not her car. Just a tragic accident.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Representative Hamilton and his family.

My sister took away my fathers driving rights when he crashed into the garage and house more than once and he was only 70!!!!

I know people who are in their 20's who should not be driving. Old people take the same test we all do and some do not wualify. In a hurry to get to an appointment push the lever to what you think is park then walk around behind the car ...Happens even to young people. Friend of mine's grand daughter got run over by her son in their driveway.

Damned these Toyotas!

I guess you've never driven a standard transmission alex. It was obviously a manual left in neutral.

I guess you've never driven a standard transmission alex. It was obviously a manual left in neutral.

From the article:

but her car was not shifted into park.

She was in her eighties. Likely she was driving an automatic and not a manual.

Captain Hammers reading fail.

Troy,

No, we don't have enough information on the geometry of the parking lot. When if the grade sttepens as you move away from the curb - not uncommon in hilly areas like Bloomington.

If the car were in gear (reverse?), it would have taken a few seconds for pressure to build to roll the car. Try pushing your car by hand on level pavement, and see how fast is starts to roll. However, once the static inertia is overcome, pushing becomes easier and the car's speed increases. Stopping the car, however with require more force, simple Newtonian physics straight out of high school.

Nor a prerequisite for reading comprehension apparently. He was the politician, not her.

Morlack,

You demonstrate all the taste and intellect of a bag of broken hammers.

Well this just proves what ive known all along: intelligence is definitely not a prerequisite to becoming a politician.

We should be very careful when we point fingers :)