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Elderly man hangs up the keys after trashing two Porsches
Jack Higgs of Penarth, England, is 93. He has been driving for 76 years, and has never gotten a ticket. He never even had a single accident since learning to drive at age 17. That flawless streak came to an end, however, on Monday, when Mr. Higgs totaled two cars and badly damaged a third. Mr. Higgs swears he'll never drive again.
A former Pentecostal minister, Higgs was backing up his 13-year-old Ford Fiesta at a local Porsche dealership when he inexplicably lost control and found himself hanging upside down by his seat belt in his overturned car. At 93, Higgs managed to get himself out of the wreck unassisted and, after being checked over by the paramedics, walked away from the scene unscratched. You'd think the owners of the dealership would be livid, but their concern was mostly for Higgs' wellbeing. The nonagenarian, who attributed his good fortune to prayer and God, had been driving through the dealership's front lot for years without incident to get to his garage, was known to everyone at the dealership, and even offered to help clean up the mess. Somehow we doubt Mr. Higgs will have trouble finding someone to give him the occasional lift.
Thanks for the tip, Paul!
[Source: BBC News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mcheddadi 9:56AM (4/15/2008)
Poor guy... :-(
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tio 9:59AM (4/15/2008)
good for him to be honest and give it up. Here it would have been blamed on the car. He pushed the gas instead of the brake.
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CarbonBlack 12:59PM (4/15/2008)
I agree, I wish this became a trend! Nothing wrong with safe driving Senior Citizens, But ANYONE that is a bad driver needs to stay off the roads(ANY AGE).
Pat 9:59AM (4/15/2008)
that's pretty heavy carnage for a guy reversing ... How the heck did he flip the car ? The Porsche's aerodynamics ?
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Felipe 1:50PM (4/15/2008)
Never understimate the power of a slow moving car:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RMLt28n0-M
Randy 10:00AM (4/15/2008)
We should all chip in and get him an 52" Plasma, a game console and a game like Need For Speed.
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Randy 10:00AM (4/15/2008)
or not...
Seminole 11:20AM (4/15/2008)
Maybe GranTurismo since prologue just came out today.
Benfolio 10:00AM (4/15/2008)
More strange mating habits or automobiles http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44567000/jpg/_44567876_crash.226.jpg
Kudos to the guy for giving up his keys (even though it was his first.... but if you can't explain why it happened, then... yeah)
Wish some of the old douchebags in THIS country would when they become a danger to others with thier early 90's land yacht Roadmasters and Caddys.
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mastersmite 10:15AM (4/15/2008)
amen, i think there needs to be some sort of retest every 5 to 10 years after you get to a certain age. my grandmother, whom i love very much, scares the hell out of me whenever she gets behind the wheel. I am afraid that she is going to end up killing herself or someone else.
FSM 10:58AM (4/15/2008)
Even better lets do the same to teenagers. Once something stupid happens they should give up their keys. This would remove dumb asses and greatly reduce the driving population.
Azrael4h 9:58PM (4/15/2008)
And you're so much better a driver?
EVERYONE in the US needs to be retested every two years. And pass a physical every 5, minimum (including eye exam).
CDL drivers need a DOT physical; so should regular drivers; including myself.
tankd0g 10:04AM (4/15/2008)
Props for doing that much damage with a Fiesta.
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Barry Kellow 10:07AM (4/15/2008)
he Lord, he moves in mysterious ways, his blunders to perform!
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psarhjinian 10:38AM (4/15/2008)
What's nice is how everyone responded: no protests of indignation, blamestorming or lawsuits.
Good job on all sides.
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cowboy bob 11:28AM (4/15/2008)
Yea, it is nice to be understanding. However, instead of running backwards over a car, how do you think someone would feel if he had run over a kid on a trike? Especially if it were YOUR kid. When you are old, you are just not up to driving anymore. Nobody does anything until that "first" accident. Sometimes that is all it takes to kill someone. Re-test every two rears after 70. No exceptions. Yea, try to get that passed in congress!
Luis 12:32PM (4/15/2008)
Ditto that...
Sean 12:40PM (4/15/2008)
Uh, how about re-test every few years after you get your license? None of this 'after 70' bull.
No one is as good a driver as they think they are, or what to think they are.
PauloBecker 11:03AM (4/15/2008)
I don't know if I feel more sorry for the guy or for the two Porsche he wrecked :(
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John B 1:15PM (4/15/2008)
"Mr Higgs said he could not explain how he managed to lose control of his 13-year-old car and smash into the Porsches."
That kind of explains why mandatory retesting of the elderly is required.
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