Date: March 16, 2004
Victim: Juanita Grossman
Location: Evansville, Ind.
Model: 2003 Toyota Camry
Details: Juanita Grossman, 77, was found with both feet still jammed down on the brake pedal.
The Indiana woman had just pulled out of the local drive-through pharmacy where she picked up medication when her car took off across St. Joe's Street in Evansville, Ind.
The 2003 Camry clipped another vehicle, crossed the street and grazed a fire station before slamming into a jewelry store, according to relatives and a complaint filed by Grossman's family with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"It was like a car on a sling shot. She was slung across the street into that building," said her son, Bill.
Grossman was conscious after the wreck, maintaining alertness on and off for another six days before dying from her injuries.
Bill Grossman recalls his mother lying in her hospital bed, recounting how she braked furiously but couldn't slow the surging car.
"She kept emphatically saying that the accelerator stuck on her," he said.
Grossman is survived by two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
After the accident, the family considered taking legal action against Toyota but decided against it, worried the legal costs would overwhelm them.
"It would've been the giant versus the little guy," Bill Grossman said.
The 2003 Camry in not included in Toyota's recent recalls.
-- Stuart Pfeifer, Carol J. Williams and Robert Faturechi
Victim: Juanita Grossman
Location: Evansville, Ind.
Model: 2003 Toyota Camry
Details: Juanita Grossman, 77, was found with both feet still jammed down on the brake pedal.
The Indiana woman had just pulled out of the local drive-through pharmacy where she picked up medication when her car took off across St. Joe's Street in Evansville, Ind.
The 2003 Camry clipped another vehicle, crossed the street and grazed a fire station before slamming into a jewelry store, according to relatives and a complaint filed by Grossman's family with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"It was like a car on a sling shot. She was slung across the street into that building," said her son, Bill.
Grossman was conscious after the wreck, maintaining alertness on and off for another six days before dying from her injuries.
Bill Grossman recalls his mother lying in her hospital bed, recounting how she braked furiously but couldn't slow the surging car.
"She kept emphatically saying that the accelerator stuck on her," he said.
Grossman is survived by two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
After the accident, the family considered taking legal action against Toyota but decided against it, worried the legal costs would overwhelm them.
"It would've been the giant versus the little guy," Bill Grossman said.
The 2003 Camry in not included in Toyota's recent recalls.
-- Stuart Pfeifer, Carol J. Williams and Robert Faturechi