National

Elderly Driver Faces Trial for 2003 Deaths

By Mandalit del Barco

Published July 28, 2006 at 1:00 PM PDT

This story was published more than 18 years ago.

Three years ago this month, an elderly man with health problems lost control of his car and tore a deadly path through the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. Ten people were killed, 60 others were injured. The 89-year-old driver finally is about to face trial on 10 felony counts of vehicular manslaughter.

George Weller, 89, hasn't driven since that day. But some survivors are still haunted by the events.

And some legal experts are pondering whether age be a factor in deciding what constitutes justice in the case.

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Mandalit del Barco

As an arts correspondent based at NPR West, Mandalit del Barco reports and produces stories about film, television, music, visual arts, dance and other topics. Over the years, she has also covered everything from street gangs to Hollywood, police and prisons, marijuana, immigration, race relations, natural disasters, Latino arts and urban street culture (including hip hop dance, music, and art). Every year, she covers the Oscars and the Grammy awards for NPR, as well as the Sundance Film Festival and other events. Her news reports, feature stories and photos, filed from Los Angeles and abroad, can be heard on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, Alt.latino, and npr.org.

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