Charges Will Stand in Farmers Market Crash
A judge Friday refused to dismiss manslaughter charges against an 88-year-old man whose car barreled through a farmers market in Santa Monica, killing 10 people and injuring 63.
George Russell Weller stepped on the gas rather than the brake during the July 16, 2003, accident, according to federal safety investigators who ruled out mechanical failure.
His attorneys argued Friday that he was not grossly negligent because he panicked.
He “could do nothing to stop that car,” attorney Jim Bianco argued.
Prosecutor Ann Ambrose argued that he could have tried to brake or turn the steering wheel to avoid going into the street market.
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