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A 100-year-old driver (inset) injured 14 pedestrians — including 11 children — waiting to cross a street by a Los Angeles elementary school. (Photo: Fox News | Inset: Los Angeles Times)

Fourteen people — 11 children and three adults — were injured Wednesday when a 100-year-old driver backed into a group of pedestrians who were waiting to cross the street near an elementary school in Los Angeles.

•   A 100-year-old driver tried to back out of a grocery store parking lot and slammed into a group of children near a Los Angeles elementary school.

•   Four of the children were pinned underneath the car. Fire officials said 11 children and three adults were injured. Two remained hospitalized in stable condition.

•   The driver said his brakes failed. Police thought he may have hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. Investigators will inspect the car for mechanical failures.

•   The driver said he would give up driving.

The accident – which drew international attention because of the age of the driver and the number of people injured — occurred at about 2:30 p.m., right after Main Street Elementary School let out, according to an ABC News report.

Preston Carter, who will turn 101 in September, said he had gone shopping at the nearby Food 4 Less grocery store and was backing out of a parking lot to go home at the time of the accident.

He put his Cadillac in reverse, backed out of the parking lot onto 53rd street, and plowed into the crowd on the sidewalk, police Captain Jorge Rodriguez told the Los Angeles Times.

“It was a miscalculation on his part,” Rodriguez said. “He thought he was turning onto the street.”

People were screaming, backpacks were strewn all over the street, and according to witness Alma Solache, there were four children pinned underneath Carter’s vehicle. Solache said Carter then tried to drive his car off of the sidewalk, but stopped when people banged on his window and yelled at him, telling him that children were trapped underneath his vehicle.

Initial reports stated that 11 people were injured, but police said Thursday that 14 people were hurt. Detective John Meneses of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Traffic Division told the Times that 11 children and three adults were injured in the accident.

Two of the victims remained hospitalized Thursday, Meneses said. They were reportedly in stable condition.

Carter, who has a valid drivers license and was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, said his brakes had failed.

“I lost control of the car,” Carter said. “The brakes failed, I think. I’m sorry.”

Police officials also are looking into the possibility that Carter may have mistakenly hit his accelerator pedal instead of the brake when he rammed into the crowd.

After the accident, Carter’s 78-year-old daughter Ella Fleming said the family was grateful that no one was killed in the accident and that her father would not be driving anymore.

“I’m so sorry that it happened,” she told the Times, “and I’m thanking God none of them died.”

Police said no crime was committed and Carter, who has no traffic violations on his record, will not face charges for the accident. Inspectors will examine Carter’s vehicle to determine if there were any mechanical failures.

Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented pedestrian accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Five adults and three children were injured in a three-car drunk driving crash in Watsonville.

Five adults and three children were injured in a car accident Saturday night when a drunk driver struck two cars in Watsonville.

•   A drunk driver with her 6-year-old son in the car crossed a double yellow line into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into two vehicles.

•   Five adults, including the drunk driver, were injured. Two of them were airlifted to a hospital with major injuries.

•   Two children, including the drunk driver’s son, also were injured in the crash.

•   The drunk driver was arrested on charges of felony DUI and child endangerment.

The drunk driving accident occurred at about 9:20 p.m., according to a report in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

California Highway Patrol acting Sgt. Grant Boles said 26-year-old Devon Salse of Watsonville was driving a 2002 Ford Escape northbound on Holohan Road when she crossed the double yellow lines into the southbound lane just south of Green Valley Road.

The Ford Escape first crashed head-on into a Pontiac Grand Am and then struck a Nissan Altima, Boles said.

There were two people in the Pontiac. The 45-year-old Watsonville woman who was driving suffered major injuries. Her passenger, a 39-year-old Watsonville man, also suffered moderate to major injuries,  CHP officer Sarah Jackson said in a prepared statement that was reported on the Watsonville Patch news site. Both were airlifted via helicopter to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

Three Watsonville residents in the Altima were injured, Jackson said. A 6-year-old girl and two women, aged 24 and 54, were transported to Watsonville Community Hospital to be treated for what the CHP described as minor injuries.

Salse had her 6-year-old son in the car with her. He suffered moderate injuries and was released to a relative, Jackson said. It was not clear when he was transported to a hospital for treatment, but the CHP statement indicated that both he and the other 6-year-old were recuperating from their injuries.

“Thankfully, both children involved in the collision are recovering,” Jackson said.

Salse refused treatment for her injuries and was arrested at the scene. She was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail and charged with felony driving under the influence causing injuries and child endangerment, Jackson said.

Watsonville Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented drunk driving accident victims for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Nicolaas Alan Myrtle (inset) faces felony DUI charges after a car accident that paralyzed one daughter and critically injured the other. (Inset: Redding Record-Searchlight)

Warning: This story is heartbreaking.

A 28-year-old father who drove after he smoked medical marijuana and took other drugs faces felony DUI charges for a car accident that critically injured his two young daughters. One of them suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury.

•   A father smoked medicinal marijuana and then crashed his car with his two young daughters inside.

•   The girls were not properly secured in their child safety seats.

•   Both girls were critically injured. One is paralyzed from a spinal cord injury. The other had injuries to her face and may be blind in one eye.

•   The father is charged with felony DUI, several grave bodily injury enhancements, and chid endangerment.

The drugged driving accident occurred at about 8:45 p.m., according to a report in the Redding Record-Searchlight.

Nicolaas Alan Myrtle of Palo Cedro said the accident happened when he reached back to buckle one of his daughter’s seat belts that had become unbuckled, according to the California Highway Patrol report.

3-year-old Ashlynn Myrtle (left) and 4-year-old Alexis Myrtle were critically injured in a drugged driving accident.

Myrtle lost control of his car and ran off Gas Point Road near the Little League Fields in Cottonwood, about 15 miles south of Redding.  The car hit a concrete bridge abutment. His two daughters – 3-year-old Ashlynn and 4-year-old Alexis — suffered catastrophic injuries and remain hospitalized at Mercy Medical Center in Redding.

Ashlynn suffered a spinal cord injury and is paralyzed from the waist down, according to a report in the Mt. Shasta News. She is expected to be transferred later this week to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, where she’ll get specialized care for pediatric spinal injuries.

Alexis was on a life-support respirator until Sunday night, but is now breathing on her own. She underwent surgery to repair a deep gash in her face. It is not known whether she’ll have motor function or sight in her right eye.

CHP officer Michael Cregger said Myrtle told him that the two little girls were in their booster seats with their seat belts fastened when the crash happened. But he said the girls had a habit of taking the shoulder belts and tucking them underneath the arm rests of the booster seats.

When Cregger asked Myrtle if that is how the seat belts were positioned on the girls, he “looked down, started crying and shaking his head yes,” the CHP report stated.

Myrtle told officers he had smoked medical marijuana several hours before the accident. Officers found two prescription bottles for methadone and alprazolam (Xanax) in Myrtle’s car.

When officers interviewed Myrtle at the hospital following the accident, he said he had taken two methadone pills around 2 p.m. on the day of the crash and alprazolam about an hour after that. He told officers he takes the methadone for back pain and the other medication for anxiety.

Myrtle remains in Shasta County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. He faces felony charges for driving under the influence with numerous enhancements for grave bodily injury, and child endangerment. Read the court documents for full details about the charges.

The girls’ mother, Amanda Pevehouse, told the Mt. Shasta newspaper that she’s taking it all one step at a time and is grateful for all the support she has received.

“Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my babies,” she said. “We’re thankful they’re alive.”

A community fund to help Pevehouse and her daughters has been set up at PremierWest Bank. The account number is 68016754. Donations can be made at any PremierWest Bank branch.

Redding Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

School bus accident: More than 20 Lake Arrowhead students were injured Monday when a broken radiator hose spewed hot liquid and noxious fumes into the passenger cabin.

•   A school bus radiator hose burst and sprayed hot antifreeze on children’s legs. It also spewed noxious fumes into the bus.

•   The bus driver eventually pulled over to the shoulder and called for a replacement bus, but many of the children suffered minor burn injuries and breathing difficulty.

•   The children were taken to area hospitals to be treated.

The accident occurred at about 8:40 a.m., according to an ABC News report.

The bus was carrying 50 students to Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School when it overheated on Highway 18, San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesperson Tracey Martinez said.  A radiator hose burst, spraying hot antifreeze on the children’s legs and spewing fumes into the bus.

“Everyone was breathing it in the bus,” 11-year-old student Joey Frisbie, told ABC News. Frisbie said the fumes made it difficult to breathe, so he stuck his head out of the window to try to get fresh air. He told his  brother to do the same thing. Frisbie said the bus driver told them not to do that.

The boy’s mother, Shannell Frisbie, was upset about that.

“The protocol should have been to immediately get the children off the bus,” she said. “That was the most irritating part to me. I didn’t even know my children had been affected in any kind of way.”

She took both of her sons to the hospital to be checked out. The 11-year-old had a visible rash on his arms and face, and his 13-year-old brother complained of burning lungs.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jason Holzberger — whose 12-year-old daughter was on the bus — said the bus driver did pull over to the shoulder just west of Santa’s Village. Holzberger told the San Bernardino Sun that some of the fluid got onto his daughter’s legs but she was not seriously injured. He said that some of the other students complained they were having a difficult time breathing due to the fumes.

Another bus was dispatched to pick up the uninjured students to take them to school, Holzberger said.

Initially, three students who had minor burn injuries and six who were having difficulty breathing were taken to hospitals to be treated, San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesperson Tracey Martinez told the Associated Press.

Twelve more students developed breathing difficulties after they were taken to school in the replacement bus. They also were taken to area hospitals to be treated, Martinez said.

The injured students were treated at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino, and Mountains Community Hospital in Lake Arrowhead.

Donna Kellogg, interim superintendent for the Rim of the World Unified School District, said the school bus accident occurred after a clamp on the heater core came loose. Investigators were inspecting the 1994 Thomas bus to determine the cause of the mechanical failure.

California School Bus Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented children injured in school bus accidents and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Fatal Bicycle Accident: A 9-year-old girl died after being hit by a van while crossing a street in Stockton.

Fatal bicycle accident: An 9-year-old girl died Friday morning after being struck by a van Thursday afternoon while she was trying to cross a Stockton street on a motorized bicycle.

•   A little girl was either walking or riding a motorized bicycle in a crosswalk when she was hit by a van.

•   The bike caught fire. The girl suffered severe burn injuries and head trauma. 

•   The victim was airlifted to a hospital where she died several hours later.

•   Police are trying to determine whether the van ran a red light or could not see because of bright sunlight.

•   It is illegal for children to ride motorized bikes. The mother could be charged.

The deadly accident occurred at about 5:20 p.m., according to an article in the Stockton Record.

California Highway Patrol Officer Angel Arceo said the little girl, later identified by the coroner’s office as Julianna Radilla, was in the crosswalk at East Main Street and South Wagner Avenue when the accident happened.

There were several people in the crosswalk, Arceo said. The little girl was either riding or walking a small, motorized bicycle and was attempting to cross the street on a green light.

A Chevrolet Astro minivan, driven by a 23-year-old woman whose name was withheld pending investigation,  was traveling westbound on East Main Street and may have run a red light before striking the little girl, Arceo said.

The gas-powered Yamaha bicycle caught fire on impact. The little girl suffered major head injury and severe burn injuries on her legs, chest and arms. The bike was still in flames more than 150 feet from the girl when emergency crews arrived.

Paramedics worked desperately to save the little girl as a REACH helicopter landed on the soccer field at nearby Wilhelmina Henry Elementary School. The victim was airlifted to the trauma unit at U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she was listed in critical condition. She died at the hospital at about 2 a.m., Arceo said.

Determining responsibility in this accident will be tricky, authorities said. There are a number of factors to be considered.

It’s not yet certain who had the right of way. Investigators have not yet determined if the van, which was traveling at a rate of speed between 30 and 40 mph, ran a red light.  The driver could face charges of involuntary manslaughter if she’s deemed responsible for the crash. But the driver did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and did not appear to be exceeding the speed limit, Arceo said.

The driver told officers she didn’t see anyone in the crosswalk, according to a KCRA News report. Arceo said visbility is limited at that intersection when the sun is setting, which is when the accident took place.

“The sun was going down towards where the van was traveling. So, we aren’t sure if that had anything to do with it,” Arceo said.

“It’s scary because a lot of cars, they don’t stop,” said local resident Yolanda Segura, who heard the accident and ran out of her house. Segura said the intersection is dangerous and many local residents are concerned for the safety of their own children.

An additional factor investigators are considering in the tragic accident is the fact that it is illegal for children to ride motorized bikes. According to a KCRA News video, the little girl’s mother could face charges if she knowingly allowed her daughter to ride the motorbike.

Here are more photos from the accident scene. Click on a thumbnail to see it larger.

Stockton Bicycle Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented bicycle accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.