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Driver, 86, has license revoked after allegedly hitting pedestrian

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 29, 2009 01:50 PM

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

The state revoked the driver's license today of an 86-year-old woman who allegedly struck and severely injured an elderly pedestrian in Melrose on Sunday.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles issued the revocation order this morning for the license of Virginia Nelson. The Malden resident has not been cited by police, who are still investigating the crash.

The victim, Francis Blomerth, 84, of Medford, was hit about 10:30 a.m. on Main Street. Police believe that Blomerth was in a crosswalk when he was struck, near a neon-yellow traffic sign that cautions drivers to stop for pedestrians. Blomerth remained in critical condition today at Massachusetts General Hospital.

According to the Registry records, Nelson had a clean driving record prior to today's revocation.

Two weeks ago, the state revoked the driver's license of an elderly Canton woman after she allegedly struck and killed a 4-year-old girl in a pedestrian walkway in Stoughton. The driver, Ilse Horn, was cited by Stoughton police for motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation.

On June 2, a 93-year-old man drove his car into the entrance of a Wal-Mart in Danvers, injuring six people when he hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. The next day, seven people were injured in Plymouth when a car driven by a 73-year-old woman jumped a curb and ran into a crowd gathered at a war memorial.

The series of accidents has renewed a call to tighten regulations for elderly drivers. Senator Brian A. Joyce, a Democrat from Milton, sponsored a bill that would require drivers 85 and older to pass a road test and an eye test every five years.

"If this recent spate of high-profile accidents, including a couple of deaths, doesn't cause us to act now, I don't know what will,'' Joyce said.

Massachusetts drivers currently are required to renew their licenses every five years and to take an eye test every 10 years. Joyce's bill will be discussed Tuesday at a hearing before the Joint Committee on Transportation.