Senior Citizen Drives Car Into Ice Cream Shop

A Stoneham ice cream shop in Boston was the site of a car accident this morning, reports the Boston Globe. Thankfully, no serious injuries were sustained when a 90-year-old woman drove her car clear into the ice cream shop, said officials.

The shop is located on Main Street, and is called The Daily Scoop. An employee from the shop did sustain minor injuries during the car crash. At approximately 8:52 a.m. Stoneham police reported to the scene where the elderly woman had driven through the store’s front window just before The Daily Scoop opened for the day.

According to reports, the local police and fire officials arrived to find the 90-year-old woman sitting inside the ice cream shop just after crashing her 2009 Toyota Camry through The Daily Scoop’s front bay window.

This week has been witness to multiple vehicular accidents into store fronts. In St. Lucie County, Florida, a pickup truck crashed into the front of a Circle K convenience store right on Christmas Eve around 10:46 p.m, cites WPTV. In that incident no one was hurt, though the truck did end up completely inside the Circle K, much like the Toyota Camry sat inside the ice cream parlor.

Rescue officials have not released a statement yet, discussing what caused the elderly woman in Boston to wreck into The Daily Scoop.

AAA‘s Senior Driving portion of their website contains facts and research on the driving of senior citizens, whom often get a bad reputation for being poor drivers. Contrary to that frequently thrown about remark, AAA notes that senior citizens are, in fact, safer drivers when compared to other age groups. This is said to be because elderly individuals are more likely to wear seat belts, observe speed limits, and to avoid drinking and driving. They are, however, more likely to be injured during car accidents and traffic incidents due to various age related vulnerabilities and health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and fragile bones.

More facts about seniors driving state that fatal car crash rates increase per mile beginning at age 75, rising sharply after the age of 80 due to these cited medical complications and vulnerabilities rather than the elderly actually causing the car crash. In fact, in 2009, more than 58 percent of deaths in vehicle accidents involved drivers over the age of 65, 12 percent of which were passengers. By comparison, in the same year, 40 percent of deaths in crashes involved at least one driver younger than 21.