VOORHEESVILLE, N.Y. - Three elderly women have been killed Wednesday morning when an SUV drove into a group of people standing on the sidewalk.
The accident happened around 8:30 a.m. when 55-year-old Luanne Burgess lost control of her Toyota Highlander SUV off Route 85A, driving into a group of adults that were part of a walking group, and crashed into St. Matthew’s Church on Mountainview Street.
Police say Burgess had just dropped her 6-year-old foster child off at daycare and her foot or flip-flop she was wearing became stuck on the gas pedal, accelerating the car.
The victim’s are 66-year-old Carol Lansing, of Green Island, 81-year-old Fran Pallozzi and 79-year-old Rosemarie Hume, both of Waterford.
The women were part of the Volks Sporters walking group, and were just making a pit-stop at the church to use the restroom.
Burgess is being treated at Albany Medical Center for injuries that aren’t life-threatening.
Acting Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple called this accident “one of the most horrific accident scenes he has ever seen.”
Horrible tragedy, but I can’t understand how this might happen. People need to be aware that the brake still works regardless of the accelerator being engaged.
There’s no argument, something like this is completely preventable. Fortunately, the retard piloting the vehicle hit 3 fossilized humans and not school children…
Annnd another one I cant find the article on. In amsterdam and old man hit someone walking as well.
You know what, I am sorry but if you cant get the concept of thinking critically while operating a 3-6Klb battering ram, you dont belong behind the wheel. I mean really, you turn the car off EVERYTIME you get in it at least once, why the fuck wouldn’t this be one of the first 4 options entering your head???
-place car in nutral
-press brakes
-turn ignition to OFF
-if all the above fail, steer AWAY FROM PEOPLE AND HIT A SOLID OBJECT INSTEAD!
Vehicular manslaughter, fuck-um. If I ever fail at life and do the same, I would plea guilty myself.
This happened right down the road from my work. It didn’t get lodged in the pedal, it fell off and she was trying to pick it up when she hit a curb and lost control. At least that is what I heard.
The 2007 Toyota Highlander ran through part of a parking lot and hit the women as they waited near the church for a companion, authorities said. The SUV continued 70 or 80 feet, dragging two bodies as it ran under a covered church entryway, smashed iron railings and crashed into the brick wall of the bell tower.
Both are equally as fucking dumb reasons to crash a car like that. Look on google street view. Thats a 30mph road, on a slight left hand bend where it happened. She must have had her head between her legs looking for a while. The path she too into the church is like a solid 5-8 seconds at 30mph to hit the building if she just veered straight off the side and went straight at the entrance of the place.
God damn right. Every day I go to the shop I change from my office shoes to my shop shoes on 787, i90 or the northway. No problems there. Hell I even changed my pants and shirt a few times while driving! I havnt crashed into shit… cruise control, and pay attention. its not hard really.
If that’s the case then I find it hard to believe that she was just looking around for a flip flop! I mean after I just slammed 2 people, that mother fuckers brakes would be matted, not continuing through other heavy objects and having a brick wall stop my car for me!
I was told she was texting her 6 year old daughter asking her to update her facebook status because she cant figure out how to on the computer… according to my brothers friend who works for Verizon that was asked by the state police to pull phone records during the time of the incident.
