The shocking images of the moment a driver crashed through the front of a convenience store and into the aisles of the store itself, killing a staff member, have been met with disbelief from netizens.
The most surprising thing? The driver was not a wayward youth, but a 79 year old man who happened to confuse the accelerator with the brake. The harder he pressed what he thought was the brake to stop the car, the faster the car went.
In Japan’s rapidly aging society, the incident has raised questions over the right to drive for people over the age of 70, with many 2ch netizens calling for the government to regulate elderly driving. But is this really a realistic option in a society that is getting older?
Comments from NHK:
Car Crashes Into Convenience Store, Employee Killed
On September 5, at a convenience store in Higashi Osaka, Osaka City, a passenger vehicle attempting to stop in the car park suddenly accelerated and crashed into the store, killing a male employee who was run over.
Police have arrested the 79 year old man who was driving the car on suspicion of causing harm through negligent driving. The driver stated that “I confused the accelerator pedal with the brake pedal”.
At around 9:40am on September 5, at the Kashitahonmachi branch of Seven Eleven in Kashitahonmachi, Higashi Osaka, Osaka, a wagon-type passenger vehicle that had attempted to stop in the car park suddenly accelerated and crashed into the store.
In the accident, Nishida Kazuyuki (33), an employee of the store who had been outside the store at the time, was run over and later taken to hospital; however, he died soon after.
Furthermore, a 29 year old male customer who had been in the store suffered a minor injury when he cut his feet on the broken glass.
After the car had broken through the glass front of the store it continued to drive into the store, and stopped when it hit a wall.
Police arrested suspect Araki Seizaburo (79), self-employed, from Yao City, Osaka, who had been driving the car, at the scene on suspicion of causing harm through negligent driving.
The suspect stated that he “confused the accelerator and the brake”, and police are investigating the accident in detail.
A man working at a construction site near the convenience store said “There was a loud bang! like a bomb going off, so I went outside to see what had happened, when I saw that a car had crashed into the convenience store. The man who had been run over was pale and had lost consciousness, and the driver of the car was in a daze”.
Pictures from 2ch.net:
Comments from 2ch.net:
チェーン攻撃(東京都)＠＼(^o^)／:
Japan is a beautiful nation where a young life is sacrificed for an elderly man.
サソリ固め(関西・東海)＠＼(^o^)／:
So the car went right into the store, huh?
That’s really fucked up.
かかと落とし(岐阜県)＠＼(^o^)／:
Acceleration is dangerous.
Regulate it.
ツームストンパイルドライバー(東日本)＠＼(^o^)／:
I want to know how the hell he managed to confuse pedals.
逆落とし(チベット自治区)＠＼(^o^)／:
Seriously, don’t let the elderly drive.
The government should take their licenses away.
ボマイェ(西日本)＠＼(^o^)／:
If you get the pedal wrong, take your foot off it! w
Why the hell did you just keep your foot on it?
ミラノ作 どどんスズスロウン(大阪府)＠＼(^o^)／:
He went all the way into the store.
ボマイェ(西日本)＠＼(^o^)／: [in response to above]
Umm…yeah…that ain’t no drive thru.
垂直落下式DDT(兵庫県)＠＼(^o^)／:
Aged drivers are just one of the fears in an aging society.
セントーン(関東地方)＠＼(^o^)／:
Make a mandatory co-liability system with the families of elderly people who drive.
If their family don’t trust them, then don’t let them take hold of the steering wheel.
ジャンピングパワーボム(四国地方)＠＼(^o^)／:
If he’d had EyeSight then the car would probably have stopped.
シューティングスタープレス(山口県)＠＼(^o^)／:
It would be better if they allowed over-70s to only drive manuals.
Never heard of one of those Kei Trucks that old people who live out in the sticks are always driving crashing into anything.
キチンシンク(SB-iPhone)＠＼(^o^)／:
Please start restricting licenses at 70.
中年’sリフト(徳島県)＠＼(^o^)／:
Isn’t it better for convenience stores to stop using wheel stops and actually build concrete walls instead?
It would also function as a safety device against crashing.
エクスプロイダー(SB-iPhone)＠＼(^o^)／:
Yeah, convenience stores need to take action against this too. They need to anticipate problems caused by the elderly and build parking lots.
