An elderly driver took a “wrong turn” in his car Thursday. The wrong turn caused the car to go down a staircase east of Zimmerman Library and onto the plaza, police said.
Lieutenant Robert Haarhues said the man, 83, got lost while trying to find the Heart Hospital.
Students who witnessed the incident said he drove through Smith Plaza and ran into a dead-end.
“This guy comes down and he hits the first step,” student Andrew Wayner said. ”And he literally just hits the gas and almost skips off the steps. He just started driving around people and two of us start chasing him.”
Student Jaime Gilmore said the driver seemed scared because people surrounded him, took pictures and called the police.
“I was sitting near my stand and I looked over towards the SUB and I see a Saturn coming down the stairs, and I’m kind of confused,” Gilmore said. “Then he passes by us and he stops because he can’t go past the pole.”
The man did not receive a citation, and according to Haarhues, UNMPD officers drove him to the Heart Hospital. His family was contacted to pick up his car.
“He said he made a wrong turn,” Haarhues said. “But he did end up in the middle of the plaza.”
