MISHAP: Elderly motorist, who told police he confused the gas and brake pedals, drives vehicle into a window.

5 hurt in RB accident

MISHAP: Elderly motorist, who told police he confused the gas and brake pedals, drives vehicle into a window.

By Larry Altman, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/29/2009 07:18:29 PM PDT

An 88-year-old motorist mistook his accelerator for the brake, struck several sidewalk diners and drove his car halfway into a Redondo Beach restaurant Sunday.

Five people went to hospitals for treatment of minor injuries, Redondo Beach police Sgt. Peter Grimm said. More photos

Workers clear debris after a car went over the sidewalk and through the front window of the Ham Supreme Shops restaurant in Redondo Beach on Sunday. Five people were injured. (Steve McCrank / Staff Photographer)

The accident occurred just after 2 p.m. as the elderly Redondo Beach resident tried to park his Jaguar outside Ham Supreme in a shopping center at Pacific Coast Highway and Carnelian Street.

"There were a lot of people there," Grimm said. "The potential for a serious accident was huge. It was hot. It was sunny out. People were strolling in the area. It could have been a lot worse."

The driver told police he was attempting to park his car when he mistook the gas pedal for the brake and lurched forward.

His car struck several people eating at tables on the sidewalk outside Ham Supreme and smashed through a window of the restaurant.

Inside, the car struck several diners and shoved them through a stucco wall into a neighboring tutoring business called Score, trapping them inside.

After the vehicle hit Ham Supreme, it pushed diners through a wall into a nearby business. Officers had to break through a window to free the patrons. (Steve McCrank / Staff Photographer)

Responding police officers, including one who witnessed the crash while patrolling in the parking lot at the time, had to smash the front window of the tutoring business to free the restaurant patrons.

Despite the destructive crash, no one was seriously hurt, Grimm said.

The elderly driver, whose name was not released, was not hurt.

Police confiscated his keys and towed his car, which will be examined to determine if the vehicle had any mechanical problems. The driver told officers the crash was his fault, police said.

The driver was not arrested. Police will file a report with the California Department of Motor Vehicles for his license to be reviewed.

"The Redondo Beach Police Department drove him home," Grimm said.