WHITMAN, Mass. (AP) – Police on Friday asked the state Registry of Motor Vehicles to consider pulling the driver’s license of an elderly man whose van fatally struck a World War II veteran during a parade.

William Hammond, 80, of Abington, was struck as he lined up with fellow veterans at the start of the Veterans Day parade Thursday in Whitman.

Police have not filed charges against the driver, 80-year-old Joseph E. Davis of East Bridgewater, but asked the RMV to conduct an “immediate threat” assessment, according to deputy chief Raymond Nelson.

“They decide whether he should be driving,” Nelson said. “All we ask is for the Registry to look into it.”

The RMV said Friday it could not confirm that it had been asked to investigate Davis. But such requests are common after accidents that result in serious injuries, said RMV attorney Erin Deveney.

“It’s not automatically revoked,” Deveney said. “The agency makes sure the action is appropriate and necessary.”

The van is owned by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter.

Davis was a close friend of Hammond and after the accident was taken treated for distress.

Hammond, a motorcyclist who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, was captain of the color guard and was past commander of the 765-member VFW post.

Nelson said police are waiting for a state police accident reconstruction report before deciding whether to file charges.

AP-ES-11-12-04 1751EST