101-year-old driver injures 8 children outside grade school

A car being driven by a 101-year-old motorist jumped a curb and crashed into a group of pedestrians Wednesday afternoon outside a South Los Angeles grade school, injuring eight children -- one as young as 4, KTLA is reporting.

KTLA identified the driver as 101-year-old Preston Carter, though other media outlets put the age at 100.

The driver reported that the brakes on his car failed and a family member interviewed on KCAL defended the man's driving ability.

The crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. near 53rd and Main streets, said Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

No children were pinned or required extrication from the vehicle, he said. However, most of the victims were “seriously injured.”

Nine people in all were injured, one of them an adult, authorities said.

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