Three injured in Cambridge car accident when elderly driver runs into bus stop

Two adults and a toddler were injured Saturday in a Cambridge car accident when an elderly man crashed into a bus shelter, the Boston Herald reported.

Police report that the man hit the accelerator instead of the brake, and crashed his car through the glass-walled bus shelter on Mount Auburn Street. The man was not injured and Cambridge police said he will not face charges. He had been trying to park his Toyota Camry in a handicapped space near Shaw’s Grocery Store at the time of the crash. He rapidly accelerated, careened over a curb, and crashed into the back of the bus shelter.

The walls of the shelter shattered, cutting three people standing inside. A 28-year-old woman and her 4-year-old son were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. A 29-year-old man was also taken to an area hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Older adults are at increased risk for being involved in a Massachusetts car accident. Older drivers also make up the fastest growing segment of the driving population. There were 31 million drivers over the age of 65 in 2007 — a 19 percent increase over the last 10 years. Total licensed drivers only increased by 13 percent during the same time period.

In Massachusetts, a total of 53 older drivers were killed in car accidents in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Fifteen of those drivers were over the age of 85.

The American Automobile Association operates a website geared toward older drivers and their families.

If you have been injured in a Boston car accident or an accident elsewhere in Massachusetts, contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333.

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