Police fire and ambulance crews are all in attendance at Shanklin Esplanade this lunchtime (Friday) where a Lexus has smashed into a bench, knocked over a pedestrian and come to rest hanging over the seawall.
The incident, which occurred around 12:30, has seen the vehicle come to rest in a precarious position.
Firefighters from Shanklin, Ryde and Newport have assisted the elderly driver and passenger of the vehicle to safety.
Paramedics from the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service are checking over those involved – understood to be the 2 occupants of the car and an elderly woman who was walking along the pavement. The service has 2 ambulances and an operational commander on scene.
A section of the beach has been cordoned off whilst firefighters work to move the vehicle from its resting spot.
The Esplanade has been closed to motorists from the top of Hope Road.
UPDATE @ 13:25 – Fire crews have used the rescue tender and a winch to successfully pull the vehicle off the ledge, minimising the risk posed to the public.
The Esplanade remains closed with motorists already along the seafront currently unable to leave.
It has been confirmed to Island Echo that the Lexus driver was attempting to park when the automatic vehicle mounted the pavement, demolished the bench seat and subsequently struck the pedestrian before coming to rest on top of the seawall.
3 casualties are being assessed with the pedestrian en-route to St Mary’s Hospital for further treatment.
The Esplanade has partially reopened and is expected to fully reopen shortly, once recovery of the Lexus has been completed, bringing the incident to a close.
UPDATE @ 15:00 – The injured pedestrian, a woman in her 70s, has been taken to St Mary’s Hospital with leg injuries.
No driving offences have been identified, but discussions will be had over whether the driver should reconsider their licence status.
Old driver + elderly driver = bloody dangerous!!!
I expect the driver is going through hell, however, I think his independents for driving is over….it comes to us all eventually…
Young drivers = Boy/Girl racer
If the driver was being asked to Consider there licence status. It sounds like an older driver to me not a boy /Girl racer. Also a Lexus is not exactly a boy racer car is it. My experience is as a pedestrian when I have had a near miss it’s been an older driver. In case you think I have anything against pensioners I am a pensioner myself
So you have never made a driving mistake?
My Dad is 88 years old and still driving.I do worry about his standard of driving.
How many people can afford to write off a Lexus?
Having driven an automatic car for several years its pretty much down too poor driving on This one as its so easy too drive one…unless youv just gone from manual too auto very recently…like a day or so!….and it will be a case of getting used too right foot only for the accelerator…NOT AS THE BREAK! as i think some must do
You use your right foot for braking whether the car is manual or automatic.
I go from manual to automatic vehicles daily, I’ve never come close to mis-judging the controls. This is purely down to an unsafe driver. Old or young, is irrelevant, the ability to drive the vehicle you’re driving is all that counts. Clearly here, the drivers ability is below par and unsafe. So much so that an innocent pedestrian has been injured. If you’re in a position where you could make a mistake like this then you shouldn’t be driving, no excuses.
Yup, totally agree.
This must be what happened. First time in an automatic and hit the accelerator instead of the break. Poor people. Glad nobody was seriously injured. Will take a while for the driver to recover from this one mentally. Especially if elderly.
Let’s get the spelling sorted once and for all. If you fail to use the BRAKE correctly. you are liable to BREAK something (or someone.)
Are you for real??? The right foot is used for the brake in both manuals and automatics… if you have a license please surrender it, in either case please stop pretending to know how to drive.
That’s rubbish – right foot brake in both auto or manual. The absence of a clutch pedal would likely mean that a person uses their left foot to brake by mistake when first driving an auto after a manual as they go to change gear, but that’s besides the point because it only make it less likely to lurch forward not more likely. As for the other fool suggesting that driving an auto first time and they hit the accelerator instead of the brake – the accelerator pedal is in the exact same position on both auto and manual cars!! It sounds like the pair of you are both just trying to make excuses for plain dangerous driving.
Ut oh…….pressed the wrong pedal? Glad nobody was seriously injured in this ‘unfortunate’ accident.
My god poor pedestrian don’t blame the car another driver that should give there licence up
Automatic by any chance?
Without a doubt, it’s a common event especially when trying to park.
More quality driving on the Isle of Wight??????
probably grockles, we tend to have a grey dawn invasion late oct to dec..they may have driven hundreds of miles to hit that bench.
Awesome bit of parking
repairs for the damage caused and compo to the pedestrian should come out of his pension/personal savings…
The driver may have been taken ill at the wheel. I’m sure it wasn’t deliberate in any case. If it wasn’t a drink/drug driver, it was an accident. Have some compassion.
It said there was no medical problem. Would you have compassion if your child had been run down? Old people should be re-tested at 70.
A lot of young people should also be tested regularly.
A lot or the island should be retested i think it like wacky races out there,also every one seams to jump the traffic lights these days, And im not old before you ask wtf
I think they are.
Chances are being elderly the driver was legally insured…. unlike the druggie kids who change cars weekly as no tax or insurance to worry about…
Mandatory license renewal for the elderly is a necessity.
Same could apply to the convicted drink drug boy/girl racers.
You do have to renew your licence when you’re 70 and then every 3 years after. 70 is not elderly nowadays.
…. and already exists.
You have to sign every two years after you reach the age of70 ie health eye sight.
You can’t park there mate!!
Still not remotely funny!
Any update on the other old person that hit parked cars a pedestrian and a tree?
Yes, he now works for Southern vectis
She also had a sex change then
Reconsider his driving status ?? He should be done for dangerous driving. End of.
“Firefighters from Shanklin, Ryde and Newport ” How many firefighters does it take to strap a tow to a car? Apparently 18 which one of the many reasons our taxes are so hight.
Yes Iam surprised that they didn’t cut the roof off!
It depends on how many retained firefighters are availible to man the fire appliances . Newport being the only Full time Drews .
But what else would they be doing???
Not fit to drive, simple. Just a tad short of total disaster.
No driving Offences How about driving without due care and attention and injury to a pedestrian joke loke them up . Hope the old lady is going to be OK
Exactly if I ran into the back of someone and said to the police I was looking at a shop window it would be driving without due care and attention. But pressing the wrong pedal shooting forward hitting a person and a bench is fine
Wiped out? This hardly responsible journalism!
Quite right, Simon. Offensive as well as inaccurate. Given recent offences against literacy, fact and taste The editor should have a word with whoever is making such a poor job of some of the headlines.
Well said. The writing is appalling.
I thought exactly the same! Absolutely appalling headline, even more so as the poor person was injured. Island Echo monitor us for being offensive, maybe they should take a look at themselves
I no drug driving drug driving
Significant parallels to the sad death of that young lady that occurred during lockdown. Thank goodness no one was killed. The driver should at least be charged with a motoring offence. If they make an example of them the coffin dodgers would at least think twice about setting out for their 7 am shopping trip or thermos drinking sea view carpark outing.
Wiped out!?! Wiped out!?! Someone’s been watching to much Netflix!
How on earth can they say, no driving offences have been identified!
Not in proper control, driving without due care and attention…………..
Beggars belief.
The URL is ‘driver-wipes-out-bench’. Whoever changed the headline to ‘wipes out pedestrian’ needs be more careful. The headline implied that the pedestrian had been killed.
Another bloody pensioner!!!
One less bench for the council to decided to maintain.
Prime meat for a feeding frenzy inc usual comments about druggie scum/boy racers when seems like no-one was under 60, so hardly relevant (or maybe the pensioner was shooting up at the time.. mm good stuff.. lol), but when did that hold anyone back, oh and the usual spelling mistakes, which makes my hair stand on end at the best of times, but maybe I’m just sensitive. If there were extreme consequences for spelling mistakes on these comment boards equivalent to what’s being suggested to all and sundry whenever there’s a story like this, then a large minority of you would be posting from jail for crimes against the language 🙂
Everyone should have to re take the theory test every ten years. Will catch the people who are unfit to drive as well as the ones that have developed very bad driving habits.
Imagine if your loved one was mowed down deliberately whilst walking on the pavement.
Least this is an accident
Know what you are saying mate, they are disgusting beings.
YES GOOD IDEA I DONT MIND DOING THAT
Surely “wipes out pedestrian” means they were killed. They weren’t, thankfully. But it would have been an unsavoury way of putting it if they had.