Huntley man in hurry for Sprint deal

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
October 9, 2012

An 84-year-old man in Huntley must have been in a hurry for Sprint's latest deal on wheels, because he couldn't wait for the store to open. Sprint doesn't offer drive-in or drive-up services yet, so far as I know.

Sprint's store on route 47 at Algonquin Road suffered a hit, and the man's car had very heavy front-end and hood damage. The article in the Northwest Herald said the 84-year-old man hit the gas instead of the brake, when he was trying to park in front of the store. There is a photo in the print edition of the paper, and you can see the photo and read the article here.

He didn't just roll up and tap the brick wall. He hit it. The article says no charges are expected to be filed by Huntley Police.

Huh?

No charges? OK, so it must have happened on private property where, without a Vehicular Control Agreement, the Huntley Police would be unable to enforce State traffic laws. This shows the clear need for every community to seek such an Agreement with shopping centers, small and large.

The Village of Algonquin has a very good plan and expects all new businesses to enter into Agreements for enforcement.

Apparently, Huntley does not, and I know that Woodstock does not.

Why would an 84-year-old driver hit the gas and not the brake? I can think of several reasons. I don't know the man involved. Is he mobility challenged? Does he find walking hard and perhaps even use a can or a walker? Does he have trouble moving his leg and/or foot quickly from one pedal to another? Does he have leg problems to the extent that he cannot feel the pressure of his foot on the accelerator or brake?

At the very least, he should be cited for re-examination at the driver's license bureau. Let's hope they would do more there than just test his eyes and pass him. I wonder if there is a checkmark on the Examiner's form for "competence to operate a motor vehicle".