A North Attleboro man was arrested on one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after allowing his unlicensed 15-year-old relative to drive his car. The teen accidentally drove into the parking lot of Cumberland Farms around 9:40pm last Saturday night. She confused the brake and the gas pedal, and the 2006 Pontiac Vibe crashed into the brick and glass façade of the store. Fortunately, the customers and cashiers scattered and no one was harmed.
The man, 49-year-old Thomas M. Gibbons, told police he was giving her a driving lesson. The received a traffic citation for driving without a license. According to police, the car crash caused “significant damage” to the store’s brick façade and window display.
A similar incident occurred last April, when a 49-year-old woman was drove into the façade of the former Sunrise Bagel Shop during her road test for her driver’s license. She, too, had mistaken the brake and the gas pedal. But because she had a valid learner’s permit, police did not cite her. She was treated for minor injuries, but no one else was harmed.
Unlicensed teen slams car through Cumberland Farms, The Call, February 23, 2009
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