Tragedy In Parma Heights

On August 20 the unthinkable happened during a concert being held in the Greenbriar Commons in Parma Heights. When a woman was leaving in her auto, she apparently stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal during the course of pulling out, and plowed into concert goers who were on the dance floor. The tragic result was that 8 people were injured, two seriously, and one victim has since died from her injuries. Another person was critically injured, the driver of the vehicle was completely distraught, and the rest of the audience was understandably very upset at the terrible events. 

Incidents such as this have occurred from time to time at various places, and it always raises certain questions. Are states doing enough to assure the fitness of citizens of advancing age to operate motor vehicles in a safe manner? Should insurance companies charge higher rates for elderly drivers in order to address the increased risk? Do incidents like this justify the rapid development of driver-less cars? Also, in hindsight, doesn't it seem somewhat risky to place a dance floor with no barriers directly on the pavement of a parking lot? Wouldn't it have been safer to locate the dance floor somewhere else that was not in proximity to vehicles? Was this an accident waiting to happen? It remains to be seen how this terrible tragedy will affect future events like this in Parma Heights and other communities as well.

Read More on
Volume 8, Issue 9, Posted 9:11 AM, 09.02.2016