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Jody Taylor / Sixty5Media
The 70-year-old driver, who wasn't identified, was suspended for about 40 minutes in his car, which was stuck in the side of a children's clinic Wednesday, Feb. 6, near San Diego.
Published 6:50 p.m. ET: A driver trying to retrieve a ticket from a toll booth hit the gas and rammed into a California children's clinic Wednesday, leaving him and his car bizarrely hovering 20 feet over a stairwell impaled into the side of the building.
The 70-year-old driver, who wasn't identified, was pulled out through a passenger door about 40 minutes after the crash, which occurred in Sierra Mesa about 9:45 a.m. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation, authorities told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Witnesses told NBC 7 of San Diego that the driver was having trouble pulling a ticket from a toll booth several yards away when he began rolling backward in neutral. He then hit the gas, jumped a curb and speeded at about 30 mph into the side of a clinic run by Rady Children's Hospital.
More details and photos from NBC San Diego: Car crashes into building, traps driver
The car, a Toyota Camry, stuck there, its back end resting on a walkway and its front left wheel on a ledge. It was about a 20-foot drop to the stairwell below, firefighters told the Union-Tribune.
Bystanders said they had to dive out of the way to avoid getting hit. No one was injured.
"I would've been right in front of his car," said Jody Taylor of Sixty5 Media, who took several photographs at the extraordinary scene. "So he flew through — almost hit a van pulling out ... and then went right into the building."
Taylor told NBC 7 that she yelled at the driver, who had started to unbuckle his safety belt, to stay in the car.
"You could see the glass in the windows below cracking," Taylor said. "So the security guard, I looked at him and I said, 'Get everyone out of that building, 'cause you don't know what's going to happen.'
"Six inches more, and he would've gone straight down or through the window, because they said that's an exam room right there."
No one was in exam room at the time, hospital officials said. The man's car was removed about 1 p.m.
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Poor Guy, I am glad no one was injured. Definately a DOY! moment for him.
I live in Hollywood and, well, I'm not surprised. After all, this is California--people out here are against using their brakes, turn signals and anything else that might help other drivers get home safely.
The guy is an idiot. Plain and simple.
Before we take away guns from law abiding people we should first take away cars from old geezers. Much more risk there.
You sound like the biggest risk of all.
thank god no children walking through parking lot as mr. magoo was driving !
He must have been turning to the left and any time you turn left it is a mistake
Actually, I think he was drinking some Right-Wing brand Tea, and went temporarily insane, trying to run over some suspected Kenyan Communist Facist Socialist Unionized Teacher-Environmentalists on welfare whom he thought were preventing the true Americans (non-minority Southern white old folks) from succeeding in business by trying to take away their guns, abort their babies, ban their true religion, and regulate pollution to prevent climate change (which is a hoax)!
Nice summary Steve.
Steve,
Not a racist or anything I see.
I think he thought it was you. Oh well....maybe next time.
@Steve, I think you summed it up perfectly there. Yep that GOP kool-aid makes them do and say crazy things, don't ch know?
Haven't you heard? Insurance companies are trying a new program called "drive through medical exams." Instead of doctors giving you a whole 15 minutes, they will limit the exam to less than one minute, or the time it takes to drive through one exam room. Obviously, it still has some bugs to work out...
Yeah, I guess this guy was enrolled in one of their preliminary trials!!
Glad to see he was Suspended cause Ol people shouldn't be dashing about in lil' Red cars with out their Nurse.. Thanks to the Scruffy young men in their funky yelly suits.
Grandpa clearly has no business driving after this incident. It's hard to tell if any guard rail was there, but either way, that car had a lot of speed when it hit that ledge. If he cant distinguish between the gas and brake pedal then he should never again be behind the wheel.
There is a guard rail there, you can see if at the front of the car.
Couldn't edit my comment because of weird alignment issues. Grandpa drove through the cattle gate looking guard rail which looks like it might stop a mad cow, but not a car.
time to retake your drivers test...sorry
This is why there should be mandatory driver testing - big diff between people who choose not to drive correctly and those that are unable to do so anymore.
"Witnesses told NBC 7 of San Diego that the driver was having trouble pulling a ticket from a toll booth several yards away when he began rolling backward in neutral. He then hit the gas, jumped a curb and speeded at about 30 mph into the side of a clinic run by Rady Children's Hospital."
How is he rolling back in neutral? Do they keep their toll booth on a giant hill or is this guy just the world's most incompetent manual driver.
I believe he is actually a tester for the guardrail manufacturer, and was testing their new "Stop Anything Cattle Gate", but it looks like they have a few bugs to work out first! And " it's front left wheel on a ledge" isn't on a ledge, it's hanging in the air! Damn, how hard is it to pull a ticket from the toll booth anyway? Wonder what the firemen are saying?
Steve Rogers-3917073
Actually, I think he was drinking some Right-Wing brand Tea, and went temporarily insane, trying to run over some suspected Kenyan Communist Facist Socialist Unionized Teacher-Environmentalists on welfare whom he thought were preventing the true Americans (non-minority Southern white old folks) from succeeding in business by trying to take away their guns, abort their babies, ban their true religion, and regulate pollution to prevent climate change (which is a hoax)!
You sir are a true idiot.
Jon4ta,
Good ol' Steve... I bet his college essays were interesting.
If the topic was cake, Steve's paper would start; The thing about cake is "Kenyan Communist Facist Socialist Unionized Teacher-Environmentalists on welfare" eat it, so it must be good.
In all fairness, I think Buffarilla started it...Stevo just took it way over the top, like most left turning drivers...lol.
Somehow, I think that one has a real problem with attention and staying on topic...lol.
Don't you just really, really love old people and their antics ???
Yet another reason people should have required yearly driving tests after the age of 65. Too many people you wouldn't trust to be at home alone can still legally drive. Scary.
You are all overlooking the real problem. It was a Toyota.
His license should be taken away, for not being able to control a car.
How soon before the kool-aid drinkers will be saying it's Obama's fault?
Longer than the people saying it is the GOP's fault.
Jackal,
No use with that one. Sally has attention problems and can't manage to stay on topic.
I used to know a Sally Ann, and she had the most godawful odor about her, was really fat, had a skin problems, foul mouth, never brushed her tooth, was always chewing tobacco, could spit over 15 feet with pin-point accuracy, basically, she was a wreck. Is that you Sally? I bet it is, it looks like something you would post.
It's always difficult for an elderly person to be willing to stop driving, and to know when to do so. I think this event is a pretty good indicator that the time has come.
Must be nice to be all of you and accident/mistake free. Perfect, are you? I know not.
"Get everyone out of that building"? Really? Seems a bit extreme. It wasn't a terrorist attack dude.
I don't quite understand how the car sped forward at about thirty miles per hour when it was in NUTURAL
Stop thinking and being reasonable Burgereater. Clearly you should just blindly accept what you are told, lest you be the bad apple in the bunch...lol.
Damn free thinking people ruin everything!...lol.
Wow, so according to many of you a 70 year old driver is too old to drive? Surprise folks, 70 isn't old... many 70 year olds are very fit, very active, very alert, and very capable of driving. I would bet most of you have had some kind of incident that occurred because you were not paying enough attention to the vehicle you were supposed to be controlling and were lucky enough to get away with it. We ALL do things we shouldn't do when behind the wheel, and day after day we get away with them, consequence free. Many of you are very quick to judge. Remember, if you're lucky you'll be in your 70's some day and if your luck holds you will be judged on factors other than simply your age.
But I do agree that we need to have better testing of ALL drivers, not just those who are getting on in years. The driver's license by mail renewal may be convenient, but its not necessarily a good thing.
This is NOT a special happening for Kalifornication. I rode a MC there for over 10 years, splitting lanes, getting where I was going and pissing off everyone locked in their cages. I had very few incidences where the other drivers tried to get even, but those that did were vehement about their pursuit. I always won. For some 70+ Y.O. driver to launch into a building is an ordinary thing. It's just a good thing he didn't take out a batch of pedestrians like the old guy did in Santa Monica years back. I think he was in his 80's or more.
You are HIRED Sir! for our senior stuntman position.
I'm curious as to how he could roll backward in NEUTRAL, hit the gas and do anything more than rev the engine.
Clearly, this is why Obama implemented Death Panels. Thank goodness we won't have to put up with retards,old people, patriots, or Veterans once the President gets all the Drones up and running and finishes his kill list. God Bless Obomerica!!!