Jamestown, CA…On Thursday, May 17, 2018, at approximately 2:32 pm, 88 year old Jamestown resident, Gina Vernazza, was driving a 2006 Ford, traveling eastbound in her driveway of her residence at approximately 5 mph. When she attempted to stop her vehicle, Vernazza missed the brake pedal and instead hit the accelerator. The Ford accelerated rapidly forward and traveled through a fence and down a dirt embankment. Vernazza was unable to regain control of her vehicle and subsequently struck the rear of a residence on Johnny Drive.

The Ford’s airbags deployed as a result of the collision, but Vernazza was not wearing a seat belt. Vernazza sustained major injuries and was flown to Memorial Medical Center, Modesto. Air bags are not designed to replace seat belts, they are to supplement lap and shoulder restraints to help limit head and chest injuries. If a passenger or driver is not fully restrained, they may contact the air bag before it is fully inflated, and may sustain serious or fatal injuries. Fatal injuries have been reduced by 11% to drivers in an automobile collision in which an air bag has been deployed and hospital injury claims have been reduced by 24%.