Three men were injured Monday afternoon when a 91-year-old woman crashed her car into the patio of an Orange County doughnut shop.
The accident happened at about 10:45 a.m. at DK's Donuts, located in the 3700 block of East Chapman Ave.
According to Sergeant Dan Adams of the Orange Police Department, the driver, whose name has not been released, hit the accelerator of her Cadillac Northstar while it was in reverse. Her car accelerated backwards and into the DK's Donut's patio.
The elderly driver then shifted into drive and accelerated again. Her car entered a driveway, then an alley, then crashed into a block wall belonging to a neighboring residential property.
Three men who were at the donut shop were transported to a local hospital for minor injuries. The elderly driver was checked out at the hospital, but was not injured.
Elderly drivers are statistically more likely to be involved in injury-producing car accidents than younger drivers. Elderly drivers may have slower reflexes, delayed reaction times, more difficulty concentrating, and poorer vision.
If you are concerned about an elderly driver's driving abilities, you can anonymously request a Driver Reexamination through the DMV by completing Form DS 699, accessible through the DMV website.