Elderly driver allegedly hits and seriously injures man in Malden
By Emma Stickgold, Globe Correspondent
An elderly man was seriously injured after being struck by an 86-year-old Malden woman on Main Street in Melrose this morning, the fourth serious high-profile accident involving an elderly driver this month.
Police found the pedestrian, whom they identified only as an elderly male, on the ground on Main Street after getting calls reporting the incident just before 10:30 a.m.
He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. Police said they interviewed the driver, Virginia Nelson, at the scene but have not charged her.
The accident comes just two weeks after an 89-year-old Canton woman allegedly struck and fatally injured a 4-year-old girl in a pedestrian crosswalk in Stoughton. The driver, Ilse Horn, was cited by Stoughton police with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation for hitting the child on June 13 and her driver's license was revoked by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
On June 2, a 93-year-old man drove his car into the entrance of a Wal-Mart in Danvers, injuring six people, after he hit the gas pedal instead of the brake.
The next day, seven people were injured in Plymouth after a car driven by a 73-year-old woman jumped a curb and ran into a crowd gathered at a war memorial.
Massachusetts drivers must renew their licenses every five years and are required to take an eye test every 10.
A bill sponsored by Senator Brian Joyce would require drivers 85 and older to pass a road test and eye test every five years to have their licenses renewed. A Massachusetts coalition of advocate groups for the elderly, Safe Roads Now, is urging lawmakers to bolster retesting for all drivers to improve road safety.
State Police and Melrose police are investigating today's accident.
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