Matches in DBpedia 2016-04 for { ?s ?p "On the afternoon of July 16, 2003, George Weller, then age 86, drove his 1992 Buick LeSabre westbound down Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica, California toward the city's popular Third Street Promenade. The last few blocks of the street, before it ends at the ocean, had been closed to vehicle traffic for the biweekly farmers' market.Weller's car struck a 2003 Mercedes-Benz S430 sedan that had stopped to allow pedestrians through a crosswalk, then accelerated around a road closure sign, crashed through wooden sawhorses, and plowed through the busy marketplace crowd, traveling nearly 1,000 feet (300 m) at speeds between 40 and 60 mph (60 and 100 km/h). The entire sequence of collisions took at least 10 seconds.By the time the car came to a halt, ten people had been killed and 63 were injured. Weller told investigators he had accidentally placed his foot on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, then tried to brake but could not stop. Days after the crash, Weller issued a statement saying he was distraught and heartbroken, and his attorney called it an accident.The crash fueled a national debate in the United States on safety risks posed by elderly drivers.Some observers questioned Weller's account; numerous witnesses and victims reported: Seeing no brake lights on Weller's car, which would indicate that he was not attempting to stop; Weller stared straight ahead as he drove through the crowd, with victims flying over his windshield; Weller angrily yelled from his car \"Get out of the way!\" as he hit pedestrians; That Weller avoided parked cars and produce tables on both sides of the road, steering instead directly down the middle of the crowded street; Weller did strike one vegetable stand, \"sandwiching\" victims with shelves and structural components from the stand; Weller's car came to a stop after hitting two parked cars;Weller's supporters argue that: Weller suffered from arthritis, nausea as a side-effect of medication, and reduced mobility from a hip replacement. Weller had a relatively clean driving record at the DMV, with one minor crash and no violations. Weller had passed a vision test and written test on renewing his driver's license in November 2000. Since the tragedy resulted from a \"misapplication\" of the pedal, Weller had committed an accident, not a crime. \"Pedal error cannot constitute negligence,\" stated Mark Overland, an attorney for Weller.After he was found guilty of ten counts of vehicular manslaughter, the sentencing judge noted that Weller \"showed enormous indifference\" and \"unbelievable callousness.\"This case became the inspiration for the South Park Season 7 episode \"Grey Dawn\"."@en }
Showing triples 1 to 1 of
1
with 100 triples per page.
- Santa_Monica_Farmers_Market_crash abstract "On the afternoon of July 16, 2003, George Weller, then age 86, drove his 1992 Buick LeSabre westbound down Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica, California toward the city's popular Third Street Promenade. The last few blocks of the street, before it ends at the ocean, had been closed to vehicle traffic for the biweekly farmers' market.Weller's car struck a 2003 Mercedes-Benz S430 sedan that had stopped to allow pedestrians through a crosswalk, then accelerated around a road closure sign, crashed through wooden sawhorses, and plowed through the busy marketplace crowd, traveling nearly 1,000 feet (300 m) at speeds between 40 and 60 mph (60 and 100 km/h). The entire sequence of collisions took at least 10 seconds.By the time the car came to a halt, ten people had been killed and 63 were injured. Weller told investigators he had accidentally placed his foot on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, then tried to brake but could not stop. Days after the crash, Weller issued a statement saying he was distraught and heartbroken, and his attorney called it an accident.The crash fueled a national debate in the United States on safety risks posed by elderly drivers.Some observers questioned Weller's account; numerous witnesses and victims reported: Seeing no brake lights on Weller's car, which would indicate that he was not attempting to stop; Weller stared straight ahead as he drove through the crowd, with victims flying over his windshield; Weller angrily yelled from his car \"Get out of the way!\" as he hit pedestrians; That Weller avoided parked cars and produce tables on both sides of the road, steering instead directly down the middle of the crowded street; Weller did strike one vegetable stand, \"sandwiching\" victims with shelves and structural components from the stand; Weller's car came to a stop after hitting two parked cars;Weller's supporters argue that: Weller suffered from arthritis, nausea as a side-effect of medication, and reduced mobility from a hip replacement. Weller had a relatively clean driving record at the DMV, with one minor crash and no violations. Weller had passed a vision test and written test on renewing his driver's license in November 2000. Since the tragedy resulted from a \"misapplication\" of the pedal, Weller had committed an accident, not a crime. \"Pedal error cannot constitute negligence,\" stated Mark Overland, an attorney for Weller.After he was found guilty of ten counts of vehicular manslaughter, the sentencing judge noted that Weller \"showed enormous indifference\" and \"unbelievable callousness.\"This case became the inspiration for the South Park Season 7 episode \"Grey Dawn\".".