89-Year-Old Cook County Pedestrian Killed in Palos Park Car Accident Involving Neighbor’s Minivan
89-year-old Mary Infantino is dead from fatal injuries she sustained in a Palos Park pedestrian accident. Infantino was walking to her mailbox on Friday when she was hit by her neighbor’s Dodge Caravan. Police say that the 80-year-old driver of the minivan did not see his elderly neighbor. Infantino was found underneath the vehicle.
Autopsy results confirm that she died from multiple injuries from a vehicle hitting a pedestrian. Police and the Palos Area Reconstruction Team are trying to determine what happened.
Older Driver Safety Awareness Week
Infantino’s Palos Park car accident death occurred just a few days before the start of Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, which takes place this week through December 10. With so many Americans reaching retirement age and living longer lives, there are now more elderly drivers on the road.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, older drivers were involved in 5,569 deadly traffic crashes in 2008—that’s 11% of all the driving deaths that year. That said, in general older drivers do have better safety records than motorists who belong to other age groups. They also tend to be more careful, are more experienced than their younger counterparts, and drive less miles.
However, there continues to be growing concern that elderly seniors can bring with them a higher crash risk should their vision start to fade, reflexes slow down, hearing deteriorate, or health issues force them to take medication.
Elderly pedestrians are also at higher risk than younger adults of getting injured during a traffic crash. Again, the symptoms of aging, in addition to physical ailments that may slow down an elderly senior, can make him/her more susceptible to getting hit by a driver during a Chicago pedestrian accident.
Minivan fatally strikes woman, Southtown Star, December 5, 2010
AAA emphasizes importance of helping keep senior drivers safe and mobile, KXLF, December 8, 2010
Older Driver Safety Week is here, Inside Nova, December 5, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Elderly Pedestrians, Walking Info
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
