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Should Elderly Drivers Be Behind Wheel?

82-Year-Old Woman Mistakenly Hits Gas Pedal, Killing 5-Year-Old

POSTED: 6:34 pm EST December 10, 2009
UPDATED: 12:24 pm EST December 11, 2009

Cobb County accident investigators returned to the scene of an accident that killed 5-year-old Karla Campos of Marietta. The child was getting off the school bus Wednesday when Edith Anderson, 82, of Roswell struck and killed her.

“The first thing I feel is anger because I don’t believe that someone that age should be driving,” said a parent who stopped by a small memorial at the intersection of Davis Road and Aberdeen Court, the site of the fatal accident.

Georgia law requires drivers who are 64 and older to take a vision test. If that screening is passed, the license is good for five years. The state does not require a behind-the-wheel or written test for elderly drivers.

“Everybody isn’t the same and maybe there should be some sort of a test once you reach a certain age,” said Elaine Culverson, a mother who stopped by to leave flowers for Kampos.

Cobb County police said Anderson, the driver, swerved to the right to avoid several cars that had stopped behind the school bus. Officer Joseph Hernandez reported that Anderson panicked and hit the gas pedal, instead of the brake. Her car ran over the 5-year-old, then careened down the sidewalk into a ditch.

Anderson is facing a number of charges, including vehicular homicide.


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