An elderly motorist in the UK messed up his pedals in a supermarket parking lot, leaving his wife without a leg and sending his young mother into a coma.
Retired construction worker Malcolm Rogers, 79, stopped outside the store in a Ford Mondeo to help his companion, 76-year-old Stephanie Hyde, with her shopping. The Briton forgot to apply the handbrake and shifted the car into reverse, then hit the gas pedal instead of the brake in an attempt to stop the car.
As a result, the pensioner hit two women: his lover and 32-year-old Holly Mills. The latter suffered severe head injuries and a fractured spine and was placed in a coma. Hyde had to be put in a wheelchair as doctors were forced to amputate her leg.
After the coma, Mills was left with constant headaches and was forced to reduce her work hours and enlist the help of a speech therapist.
Rogers pleaded guilty to causing serious injury. The court sentenced him to 16 months suspended imprisonment and issued a two-year driving ban.
