Driver, 92, hits 2 in East Greenwich

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WPRI) - East Greenwich police say an elderly driver may have mistaken the gas pedal for the brake when he hit two pedestrians in a shopping center parking lot.

The victims were in the crosswalk in front of West Marine on Division Street after 1 p.m. when a 92-year-old man hit them, Lt. Stephen Brown said.

According to eyewitnesses, the car hit a woman first then hit a man.

"He hit the girl first, and then I heard this tremendous thud. And I turned around and he's about 20 feet in the air," said Fred Haibon of Coventry. "I've never seen anything like it, except int he movies."

He said it looked like the male victim hit his head and there was a lot of blood on scene.

Haibon's wife, Lorraine, said the driver was going fast through the parking lot.

"He went through here like it was the highway," she said.

Brown said the investigation is ongoing, though it appears the driver may have stepped on the gas instead of the brake.

The conditions of the two victims is unknown at this time.