STAMFORD, CT : Stamford woman, 82, charged in parking lot crash on Thursday, December, 21st 2017

An 82-year-old woman has been charged with vehicular assault after police say she critically injured a man and damaged 12 cars.

Mercedes Garcia, of Strawberry Hill Avenue, was charged Thursday with second-degree assault and released on a promise to appear at court.

The charges were the culmination of a two-month police investigation into the accident that occurred in the parking lot of the Fountain Terrace apartment complex on Oct. 20.

Sgt. Andrew Gallagher said Garcia was backing her 2009 Honda CR-V out of a parking space when she struck another car behind her, pushing that vehicle into another.

Officer Jeffrey Booth’s investigation revealed Garcia put her car into drive and accelerated forward, striking and damaging nine other vehicles, all but one were unoccupied.

One of the vehicles Garcia struck was pushed into a man who lived in the complex. The man sustained life-threatening injuries and is still undergoing long-term treatment and rehabilitation, Gallagher said.

A Grand Cherokee driving in the lot slammed into Garcia’s Honda, bringing her vehicle to a stop.

Gallagher said it’s important to recognize when relatives and friends are no longer able to safely drive.

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Stamford woman, 82, charged in parking lot crash