A 77-year-old Newton woman and her 80-year-old husband were flown to a Des Moines hospital Wednesday morning after their car crashed into the garage of a Newton home.
Authorities say Doris Diamond’s injuries are not life-threatening, but her husband is in critical condition.
This is the third accident the elderly woman has been involved in within the past year. She was evaluated by Iowa Department of Transportation officials after the second accident and was allowed to keep her license to drive, but Lieutenant Bill Henninger of the Newton Police Department says there comes a time when older drivers need to realize it’s time to stop driving.
“Safety is the most important thing and they don’t need to be driving anymore,” Henninger says. “…Family needs to be proactive and, you know, take the keys from mom or dad.”
Diamond’s vehicle hit a retaining wall and went airborne, headed for Colette Klier’s property.
“Her bumper hitting the top part of our garage there and then fell upside down,” Klier says.
Damage to both the garage and laundry room are extensive. No one was in the garage or the home when the wreck happened. The accident was reported at about 9:15 Wednesday morning. Police aren’t saying how fast they believe Diamond was driving when she hit the retaining wall.
(Reporting by Randy Van, KCOB, Newton)