Driver, 81, cited in crash

ATM incident led to amputation of woman’s leg

“Two people were just hit by a car,” a breathless 911 caller tells a dispatcher in describing a crash at a Boynton Beach ATM that injured two people, one of them so severely that her right leg had to be amputated.

“The lady is bleeding bad on her legs,” the female caller says. “Oh my God, one of her legs are bent backwards,” she gasps.

The 81-year-old driver, Louise Szakas, of Boynton Beach, was cited for careless driving. Police are trying to figure out whether she may have mistaken the car’s accelerator for the brake as she was attempting to park.

Diane Power, 63, and her son Thomas Power, 32, were hit near the Bank of America ATM at at 4793 Congress Ave., just south of Hypoluxo Road, before 1 p.m. Monday, Boynton Beach police said. Szakacs drove her Toyota Camry into a parking spot, moving forward at 10 mph, police said.

The Camry went over a parking barrier and onto a sidewalk before slamming against the wall, pinning Diane Power to the wall and pinning Thomas Power underneath the vehicle as he tried to dive to safety, police said.

The Powers, who live in Boynton Beach, were taken to Delray Medical Center with critical injuries.

Diane Power’s right leg was amputated, while her son had a broken arm and leg, police spokeswoman Stephanie Slater said. Shelly Weiss, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said both were in good condition as of Tuesday afternoon.

Szakacs was taken to JFK Medical Center as a precaution.