5 pedestrians struck by vehicle in Granada Hills parking lot

GRANADA HILLS (FOX 11 / CNS) - An octogenarian driver inadvertently accelerated in a supermarket parking lot Tuesday, striking five people, but no one was seriously hurt, authorities said.

The accident occurred at 3:15 p.m. at the Ralphs store in the 18000 block of Chatsworth Street near Zelzah Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Three patients were transported for hospital treatment -- an 83-year-old man, an 84-year-old woman and a 64-year-old woman. None of the patients were in serious condition, according to the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic division, and reports from the scene characterized all of the injuries as minor.

The driver, a woman in her 80s, had just backed out of a parking space with the assistance of a security guard, according to an LAPD spokeswoman.

When the motorist was clear of the parking space, the guard tapped the back of her sedan to let her know that she was good to go. Apparently startled, she instead hit the gas, striking the guard and four other pedestrians,
according to the LAPD.

The LAPD will not pursue charges against the driver, the spokewoman said, but will request that the senior's driving skills be evaluated.

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