NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Police remain baffled as to why a 78-year-old woman backed her Chevy Malibu 40 feet into a medical building Wednesday afternoon, killing one man and injuring two others.
"It's bizarre," police spokesman Sgt. Eugene Griffith told Headline Surfer®. "We're still trying to determine exactly what happened. Apparently, she hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, but it remains under investigation as to why."
Cops received several 9-1-1 calls in response to the 2 p.m. accident, including one from a frantic caller who said in part: "You need to get here now, that's all I know!"
The elderly driver, Janet Spurgeon, was seen briefly in the ER at Bert Fish Medical Center for minor injuries after backing into the Coronado Medical office building owned and operated by Bert Fish Medical Center, cops said.
Edmond Kestory, 63, wasn't so lucky. He was airlifted to Halifax Medical Center under a trauma alert, but he died a short time later.
"It's bizarre," police spokesman Sgt. Eugene Griffith told Headline Surfer®. "We're still trying to determine exactly what happened. Apparently, she hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, but it remains under investigation as to why."
Cops received several 9-1-1 calls in response to the 2 p.m. accident, including one from a frantic caller who said in part: "You need to get here now, that's all I know!"
The elderly driver, Janet Spurgeon, was seen briefly in the ER at Bert Fish Medical Center for minor injuries after backing 40 feet into the Coronado Medical office building owned and operated by Bert Fish Medical Center, cops said. Employees are shown re-entering the building after the car was removed.
Edmond Kestory, 63, shown here, wasn't so lucky. He was airlifted to Halifax Medical Center under a trauma alert, but he died a short time later.
George Snyder, 76, also was was taken to Halifax under a trauma alert, but his injuries, though significant, weren't considered life threatening, police said.
And a third person in the lobby, 88-year-old Florence Hopko, was treated and released from nearby Bert Fish Medical Center.
The two-story structure sustained significant damage and was expected to remain closed a few more days.