My 84 year old mother blacked out at the wheel and crashed through my neighborhood fence. No one was hurt but she has now gone out and bought a new Mercedes so she can drive again. I am so against this and not sure what to do or say.
IF the doctor clears her then resuming driving should not be a problem. (in many cases if it is found that she had a seizure she may be placed on anti-seizure medication and prohibited from driving for 6 months and a required follow up to get driving PRIVLIDGES back.) This is standard, it does not matter the reason for the seizure I would suggest that she take one of the Drivers Courses they may pick up on something. And if not and everything is clear the course can reduce insurance rates. (that may go up due to the accident)
Why did mom black out? Normally, in such a case, the person is medically PROHIBITED from driving for a 6 month period. My nephew blacked out last summer at a festival, was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed as having had a seizure due to dehydration, which automatically carries with it a 6 month driving prohibition.
If your mother is going against a medical directive and driving unsafely, I'd DISABLE her new car if I were you. Hide her keys. Take out the spark plugs, for instance. She'll have it checked out and fixed, then you do it again. And again, until the message sinks in that she's not going to be driving her car again. Period.
Go ahead & report her to the DMV & her doctor, etc. I just happen to be one of those people who believe that it won't do a darn thing to keep an elder off the road if they're hellbent on driving. Your mother should be scared witless to get behind the wheel again after such an incident, yet here she went out and bought a new and expensive car instead! You tell me if a report to the DMV or her doctor will make any difference to her driving habits? If so, great, your problem is solved without further ado. If not, take my advice above.
I would venture to guess there is some level of cognitive impairment going on with your mom. Because anyone in her right mind would NOT go out and purchase a new Mercedes so she can drive again after suffering a black out and crashing through a neighborhood fence! As an example, my father was around 87 or so when he had 3 very minor fender benders in supermarket parking lots in FL. He realized at that point he had no business behind the wheel of a car anymore and surrendered his keys. He called my daughter up and told her to drive down to FL to pick up his car, he was gifting it to her. Had he been suffering from cognitive impairment, he probably would have continued driving or gone out and bought himself a new car instead of having the minor fender damage fixed.
Get the keys away from your mother, she is a menace to the road.
An elderly woman drove through the hair salon that I go to.
This incident was not long after a hurricane and I assumed the broken glass windows were from the storm.
I found out that the damage wasn’t from the storm. It was from a woman who had a seizure and drove into the hair salon. It’s frightening. The customers and stylists ran to get out of the way.
My cousin was shopping at a strip mall. The store fronts are all glass windows. She was at the register paying for her items and a big truck came crashing through the store front. She freaked out.
It was an old man and his wife. They plowed right through the store! He wasn’t having a seizure. Who knows what happened in that case?
Hello, sorry to hear this happened to you mom. It's obviously very dangerous and I feel your concern for your mom and others.
I think firstly you need to get her checked properly, to find the underlying cause of the blackouts.
Are you able to talk to her and tell her if she continues to drive, you will inform the DMV? inform the DMV, tell them, your mom is not fit to drive and you are worried about her and other people getting hurt.
It's going to be far worse if she injures herself or someone else or does something even worse I dread to think it.
Maybe you can compromise and say stop for a the short-term and if she is ok after 6 months with no further blackouts, with doctors sign-off, then she can try again for only short trips.
It's seems urgent to take action, before she hurts herself or others.
Report her to the DMV and her doctor and request that her license be taken away as she is not only a danger to herself but to others as well. Next time she's not going to be so lucky and innocent people that were at the wrong place at the wrong time are the ones that are going to suffer and possibly even be killed. Do whatever you have to to stop this from happening.
My dad didn’t argue either about wanting to drive after he had a stroke and wasn’t allowed to drive.
I have friends who had to take their parents keys away from them. It’s a difficult situation.
I am sure that this is frustrating for you to have to deal with this situation. It’s especially frustrating for other drivers on the road as well.
I had an elderly woman crash into my vehicle. She tried to hit and run. I was quick and got her license plate number and called the police.
I hope for everyone’s safety she will not be driving.
Best wishes to you and your mom.
I would suggest that she take one of the Drivers Courses they may pick up on something. And if not and everything is clear the course can reduce insurance rates. (that may go up due to the accident)
If your mother is going against a medical directive and driving unsafely, I'd DISABLE her new car if I were you. Hide her keys. Take out the spark plugs, for instance. She'll have it checked out and fixed, then you do it again. And again, until the message sinks in that she's not going to be driving her car again. Period.
Go ahead & report her to the DMV & her doctor, etc. I just happen to be one of those people who believe that it won't do a darn thing to keep an elder off the road if they're hellbent on driving. Your mother should be scared witless to get behind the wheel again after such an incident, yet here she went out and bought a new and expensive car instead! You tell me if a report to the DMV or her doctor will make any difference to her driving habits? If so, great, your problem is solved without further ado. If not, take my advice above.
I would venture to guess there is some level of cognitive impairment going on with your mom. Because anyone in her right mind would NOT go out and purchase a new Mercedes so she can drive again after suffering a black out and crashing through a neighborhood fence! As an example, my father was around 87 or so when he had 3 very minor fender benders in supermarket parking lots in FL. He realized at that point he had no business behind the wheel of a car anymore and surrendered his keys. He called my daughter up and told her to drive down to FL to pick up his car, he was gifting it to her. Had he been suffering from cognitive impairment, he probably would have continued driving or gone out and bought himself a new car instead of having the minor fender damage fixed.
Get the keys away from your mother, she is a menace to the road.
Best of luck.
This incident was not long after a hurricane and I assumed the broken glass windows were from the storm.
I found out that the damage wasn’t from the storm. It was from a woman who had a seizure and drove into the hair salon. It’s frightening. The customers and stylists ran to get out of the way.
My cousin was shopping at a strip mall. The store fronts are all glass windows. She was at the register paying for her items and a big truck came crashing through the store front. She freaked out.
It was an old man and his wife. They plowed right through the store! He wasn’t having a seizure. Who knows what happened in that case?
I think firstly you need to get her checked properly, to find the underlying cause of the blackouts.
Are you able to talk to her and tell her if she continues to drive, you will inform the DMV? inform the DMV, tell them, your mom is not fit to drive and you are worried about her and other people getting hurt.
It's going to be far worse if she injures herself or someone else or does something even worse I dread to think it.
Maybe you can compromise and say stop for a the short-term and if she is ok after 6 months with no further blackouts, with doctors sign-off, then she can try again for only short trips.
It's seems urgent to take action, before she hurts herself or others.
Please let us know how it ends up.
Next time she's not going to be so lucky and innocent people that were at the wrong place at the wrong time are the ones that are going to suffer and possibly even be killed.
Do whatever you have to to stop this from happening.