MIAMI BEACH, Fla.—A 75-year-old driver likely won’t face criminal charges after crashing her Bentley into a busy Miami Beach sidewalk cafe, killing one man and injuring eight others, police said.
There were no signs that the woman was impaired on Feb. 24 as she tried to parallel park, Miami Beach police told the Miami Herald.
The woman “suddenly accelerated in reverse,” ran over a curb and hit a parked car before crashing into a table with five diners and hitting nearby pedestrians, police said. The beige 1990 Bentley then trapped people underneath as it knocked over a traffic sign and hit a tree.
Gary Prince, 67, of Miami Beach died at a hospital shortly after the crash, police said. Two men, 78 and 61, were seriously injured, a child suffered minor injuries, and five others suffered less serious injuries, police said.
Workers and patrons from the Call Me Gaby restaurant worked to lift the car off of people.
Miami Beach Police spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez said the investigation is continuing and the driver could face traffic citations.
The driver was operating the car in a “careless or negligent manner,” the police report said, and it wasn’t the first time: Court records show she was cited in Broward County in 2015 for driving on the wrong side of a divided highway, paying a $165 fine after pleading guilty.
