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Driver accidentally kills man who was trying to help her
She was on her way to vote when she got lost.
By JAN WESNER, Times Staff Writer
Published January 30, 2008
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Valerie Green's car sits under a carport Tuesday at 809 Golf and Sea Blvd. in Apollo Beach. Green lost control of the car, striking and killing one of the men who was trying to help her.
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[Skip O'Rourke | Times]
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APOLLO BEACH - Valerie Green took a wrong turn on her to way to vote Tuesday morning, then lost control of her car, killing a man who was trying to help her.
Green, 83, pulled her 1990 Cadillac into a parking lot at the Apollo Beach Golf Club to ask for directions around 11:30 a.m.
Earl Hamm, 80, and his longtime golfing buddy, John Browning, offered to help her get turned around. As they stood near her car changing their shoes, Green apparently hit the accelerator and backed up.
Hillsborough County sheriff's reports said she kept driving in reverse, dragging Hamm under her car and then hitting a tree and a building.
Green's car finally came to rest wedged in a carport across the street at 809 Golf and Sea Blvd.
Just after the crash, Green sat nearby in a yellow lawn chair. She wasn't injured.
Later, at her home at 6431 Lake Sunrise Drive in Apollo Beach, Green said she wasn't sure how she hit Hamm.
"It was like my car was driving itself," she said.
"It was an accident. I'll regret it until the day I die. I took someone's life, and I don't even know his name.
Visibly shaken, Green couldn't remember who she had intended to vote for.
"If someone would have told me I'd leave the house this morning and kill someone, I would never believe it," she said.
State records show Green has had a Florida driver's license since at least 1978. , Her driving history is clean, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Sheriff's officials said the case was still under investigation late Tuesday afternoon, and no charges had been filed.
The state of Florida requires drivers over 80 to take a vision test when renewing their licenses. Records show Green last renewed her license in 2003, before the law went into effect.
Residents on Golf and Sea Boulevard gathered outside their homes after the crash.
"I left to go vote, stopped at the bank and this had happened," said Lois Shindorf, 70, whose carport was hit by Green's car.
Shindorf said she came home and saw a crashed car and ambulance in her driveway, and emergency workers administering aid to Hamm before he died.
Hamm and his wife, Marian, were from Flemingsburg, Ky., but spend the winters at 711 McCallister Ave. in Sun City. Hamm was a former bank president and city council member in Kentucky.
Friends and relatives gathered at his Sun City home Tuesday evening but didn't want to comment other than to say that Hamm would be missed.
Earl and Marian Hamm had been married 58 years, and she suffered from Alzheimer's, according to a neighbor. They used to golf together, but more recently Hamm hit the links three or four days a week with friends.
A wooden sign decorating the Hamms' front door reads:
"Gone golfing."
Jan Wesner can be reached at jwesner@sptimes.com or 813 661-2439.
[Last modified January 29, 2008, 23:55:54]
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Comments on this article
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by Meg
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02/04/08 07:15 PM
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Why si the address of this woman printed? I don't think that the author has any right to do that. What if something happened to this 83yr old woman? How would the reporter feel then?
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by Meagan Dawn
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02/04/08 07:06 PM
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I agree with Shannon. Every here is so quick to judge the elderly. Instead of complaining, why not donate your time to help the elderly get around to appointments, etc. Be part of the solution, or stop complaining. Any age can have an accident
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by shannon
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02/03/08 07:32 PM
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The word "accidentally" is used in the title for a reason. She was clearly upset after having done this. And if it is so important for the elderly to get every year, then everyone else should get tested as well.
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by Q
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01/31/08 10:36 AM
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ALL people should have to undergo eye tests with every renewal. The renewal should be the same for all, lest there be accusation of descrimination. I know I passed the vision test 10 yrs ago, sure wouldn't now! And I'm under 30.
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by Jim
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01/31/08 03:56 AM
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Sorry, EVERYONE needs to be retested every 2 years, writen AND road, and the instructors need to be wickedly picky, stories like this are disgusting
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by laurie
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01/30/08 11:38 PM
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I think that when a person comes to a certian age they sould have to be retested,on motor skills,and reflexes also another driving test when a person comes to a certin age they are not a causious
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by Ricochet
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01/30/08 10:49 PM
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The reporter had absolutely NO right to ask who Mrs. Green was going to vote for. THAT is priviledged information and she may have given the answer she did instead of being rude and saying "that's none of your damn business."
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by Anne
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01/30/08 10:33 PM
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I agree that it's very probable she doesn't have sufficient driving skills to be on the road, but forgetting how she intended to vote could have been due to the emotional trauma of the day's events.
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by John
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01/30/08 08:00 PM
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My CDL requires an annual physical. All drivers should be required to have physicals and, retake written and driving tests; more frequently with age. I welcome the state setting higher standards and, taking licenses from unfit and dangerous drivers.
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by b-
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01/30/08 07:38 PM
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It's a very sad thing. The wife of the man that was killed has Alzheimer's, and now her primary caregiver is gone. At 83, this woman should not be driving herself around anymore. Especially if she's that easily confused.
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by jim
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01/30/08 03:46 PM
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but a 16 yr old is ok. it's obivous, she thought she was braking and had her foot on the thingy on the right. this just gets polarized because of age. u have a 30 yr old mom saying she shouldn't get a ticket even when she admits to the infraction???
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by Cheryl
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01/30/08 03:40 PM
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My mother passed from Alzheimers years ago. It was very difficult to get her drivers license taken away. In 6 years time...she went from being an independant person...to someone who didn't know how to make coffee or tie her shoes.
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by paul
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01/30/08 03:21 PM
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driving is a privilege not a right i repete not a right so do not be confused and i work in sales and an elderly women puled into my parking lot and allmost hit my new car and then asked me to fill outhere check because she could not c the lines
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by AJ
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01/30/08 03:15 PM
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a, not only do they get them for 6 years but sometimes they send them the license without even seeing the DMV line.
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by voxy
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01/30/08 02:01 PM
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it was AN ACCIDENT. PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
I'm loving the fact that you folks don't seem to realize you'll be tested every year and since so many illegal immigrants are now doing the licensing they can arbitrarily take your license when they please. LOL
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by Nikquita
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01/30/08 02:00 PM
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So when will something happen someone needs to take a stand this is crazy!
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by ELY
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01/30/08 01:08 PM
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Take their licenses away and give them free cab/bus rides whereever they need to go. Problem solved!
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by Paul
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01/30/08 01:03 PM
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"I don't know what happened it was like the car was driving itself". Had a 40 year old man been driving he would have been Baker Acted or sitting in jail right now.Anyone over 70 should be tested every 2 years or have their license revoked for life.
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by Chris
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01/30/08 12:30 PM
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Look at the vehicle she was driving! Controlling a car like that once you've messed up isn't easy for a younger, stronger person with quick reflexes. She would have done damage with any car but no one had a chance with her behind the wheel of that.
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by Joe
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01/30/08 12:16 PM
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Definitely! Once you turn 20 you start to go downhill. After that you should be tested hourly, and euthanized if you show ANY signs of deterioration.
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by amira
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01/30/08 11:45 AM
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Driving is not a right, it is a priviledge.
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by tim
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01/30/08 11:34 AM
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Let's spend another $30 million to make the voting machines "fool-proof".
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by Nature Girl
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01/30/08 11:10 AM
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When I get to a point and can't drive, can't see, too old, please somebody take my license and vehicle away!
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by sue
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01/30/08 10:51 AM
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Agreed...it was an accident, but unfortunately these stories aren't that uncommon. Elderly drivers are scary!
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by Mike
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01/30/08 10:28 AM
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Driving test should include backing up. Backing up is a maneuver that a lot of people do not perform well enough and should be tested on to see that they are competent at it....
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by Lori
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01/30/08 10:22 AM
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Driving is a privilege, not a right. We hear of too many accidents such as this. Elderly drivers need to be tested yearly for judgement, reflexes, etc. These skills diminish as people age.
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by lynn
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01/30/08 09:58 AM
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I agree that the elderly should take driving examines every year. Health/vision changes.
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by Lucy
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01/30/08 09:53 AM
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Driving is a privilege, not a right. I agree that the elderly should be tested annually. When I see drivers drive erratically I know they are either on the phone, drunk or elderly. She didn't even know who she was going to vote for? Hello?
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by frank
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01/30/08 09:14 AM
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let's hear it: every person, no matter how old, has a right to drive.
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by a
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01/30/08 09:03 AM
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I understand this was an accident, but this is just another example of why elderly people need to have a driving test EVERY year. Elderly having drivers license for 6 years without having to do anything is ridiculous. A lot can happen in those years
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