Has anyone heard what happened to the guy involved in 3 accidents a month or two ago, who claimed that at least 1 or 2 of the accidents was caused by a seizure? Now we have another prominent person claiming it was a seizure and NOT the medicene I MAY have taken that caused them to have an accident.
Will this become the latest defense in a country where folks seem to be always looking to dodge responsibility?
Kind of a dumb way as you can't drive for several months after a documented seizure from what I understand.
I was under the impression that (at least in SC) one documented seizure meant you could not drive until a doc signed off that you were fixed.
It probably varies from state to state, but it sounds like a good way to get your license suspended.
If a drunk driver can get off easy by claiming he had a seizure, maybe the laws about driving while prone to seizures aren't strict enough...
And yes I've seen a rash of this in the news, seems to be the hot new excuse.
Only works for sleazy politicians.
Curmudgeon wrote: I was under the impression that (at least in SC) one documented seizure meant you could not drive until a doc signed off that you were fixed.
That's how it is in GA. A surgeon friend/customer of ours wrecked her GMC whatever with both kids in the back....onstar really did save her life. It was a year or two on meds before she was cleared to drive again.
Curmudgeon wrote: I was under the impression that (at least in SC) one documented seizure meant you could not drive until a doc signed off that you were fixed.
Exactly.
Something similar is the case pretty much everywhere as far as I know. It also generally doesn't get you completely off the hook either. So unless you also have the doctor side of it already figured out, it seems like a terrible excuse. And even if you have the doctor side of it rigged, it's still not terribly bright.
Hell, I suspect the opposite is true way more often. A seizure being the cause and not being reported as such is probably way more common than using a seizure as an excuse. And that's only talking about the ones where the person knew they had a seizure.
Grtechguy wrote: Kind of a dumb way as you can't drive for several months after a documented seizure from what I understand.
This. I'm an experienced seizer.
Also, after a grand-mal seizure, one will barely be able to talk or to stay awake in many cases. This would make it hard to lie.
After a petit-mal seizure, one will likely have no clue what happened. I was actually able to have a petit- seizure and maintain control of the vehicle. No clue how. I had probably hundreds of seizures behind the wheel before I had any clue that it was happening. I am now controlled and seizure free.
I guess if you have enough power and money .....
Kennedy left the party, driving a 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 with one of the women, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, and later drove off Dike Bridge into the Poucha Pond inlet, a tidal channel on Chappaquiddick Island. Kennedy escaped the overturned vehicle, and, by his description, dove below the surface seven or eight times, vainly attempting to reach Kopechne. Ultimately, he swam to shore and left the scene. He contacted authorities the next morning, but Kopechne's body had already been discovered.
On July 25, Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was given a sentence of two months in jail, suspended. That night, he gave a national broadcast in which he said, "I regard as indefensible the fact that I did not report the accident to the police immediately," but denied driving under the influence of alcohol and denied any immoral conduct between him and Kopechne.
Diabetics do have to be careful before going behind the wheel.
A VW would definately float,but it would not float indefinitely.
Curmudgeon wrote: I was under the impression that (at least in SC) one documented seizure meant you could not drive until a doc signed off that you were fixed.
Unless you know people.... Person I worked with in the ED had one on a smoke break... It kindly seemed to be swept under the rug as she continues to drive.
Plus it's a small price to pay by claiming the seizure then the 1k/month insurance rates for the DWI/DUI.
Ranger50 wrote:Curmudgeon wrote: I was under the impression that (at least in SC) one documented seizure meant you could not drive until a doc signed off that you were fixed.Unless you know people.... Person I worked with in the ED had one on a smoke break... It kindly seemed to be swept under the rug as she continues to drive.
Sure. But that same logic works for any offense. So the fact that it can be applied one particular way in this particular case doesn't mean much. You can say "unless you know people/are rich/etc" to make any penalty go away, it doesn't add anything useful to the conversation.
Plus it's a small price to pay by claiming the seizure then the 1k/month insurance rates for the DWI/DUI.
Insurance premiums don't matter when you aren't licensed to drive anyhow. And for for early alcohol offenses I'd bet on heavily on the DUI getting their license back faster.
keethrax wrote: Insurance premiums don't matter when you aren't licensed to drive anyhow. And for for early alcohol offenses I'd bet on heavily on the DUI getting their license back faster.
It isn't about the time, it's about the MONEY. Unless you have 12k/yr just for the insurance to drive to work and that is it, more power to you.
Friend of mine had a brain tumor that caused a seizure while he was driving. Prior to the accident, they didn't know he had the tumor. Fortunately, it was a crappy Intrepid that paid the price. In MI, if your doctor acknowledges a seizure, you can't drive for six months.
Now we both make jokes about him being messed up in the head. Plus he's got a cool scar.
integraguy wrote: Will this become the latest defense in a country where folks seem to be always looking to dodge responsibility?
If you claim to have had a siezure, you will generally lose your license until you get a doctor's note that the siezure are under control. And you need one every year, for the rest of your life.
If they can't determine why you "had a siezure", they can't claim to get them under control, and you'll effectively have a lifetime suspension.
Kinda like pleading insanity. Welcome to life in a hospital.
As a few have pointed out, and as it was my guess, claiming you had a seizure (or getting your doctor to say you had one) could make your insurance premium less expensive compared to getting a DUI on your record (sorry, I have no experience).
I guess what bothers me in the recent Kennedy case is that other members of this family have shown a disposition to alcohol and/or drug use/mis-use and even Ms. Kennedy "volunteered" that she may have taken Ambien by mistake...instead of thyroid medication.
There's always the 'Twinkie defense': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie_defense or the 'Matrix defense': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_defense if the seizure thing doesn't get someone off the hook.
Huh, that's a funny name for a car. What will those crazy eye-talians think of next?
Curmudgeon wrote: I was under the impression that (at least in SC) one documented seizure meant you could not drive until a doc signed off that you were fixed.
Doctors are required to report seizures to the DMV and the person will loose their drivers license. That happens whether the person is driving at the time or not. The license will not be reissued until a doctor signs off on the person being seizure free for 6 months.
SWMBO almost lost hers, and would have if they hadn't determined that it was low blood pressure that caused her to pass out in the grocery store parking lot rather than a seizure.
integraguy wrote: As a few have pointed out, and as it was my guess, claiming you had a seizure (or getting your doctor to say you had one) could make your insurance premium less expensive compared to getting a DUI on your record (sorry, I have no experience).
It'll be a LOT cheaper, since you won't be able to drive.
IIRC, there is no "work exemption" for medical restrictions like there is for DUI.
My dad is an epileptic,and takes medication accordingly. Fortunately, he typically goes years in between seizures, but 20 years ago he had one while he was driving. We were stopped at a light at a T intersection, and as soon as the light changed from red to green, whatever happens inside the brain during a seizure happened. We ran straight through the intersection into the stoplight itself, smacking it square in the middle of the grille and totalling the car. Bear in mind it was a stickshift car, so it took a pretty remarkable sequence of events for it to play out like that. I was 9 or 10 at the time, I think, riding in the passenger seat.
As a result, the Gremlin was totalled, and he lost his license for 6 months or so. He was very worried he wouldn't be able to get a license again at all, My memory is a bit hazy on certain details, but thank God we were stopped when it began, or it could have been a lot worse.
I can also say that he didn't lose his license for any of the few seizures he's had in the years since. Did the doctors just take pity on him, and not report it to the DMV? I can't answer that.
Why did I read the title as something abut a Chrysler product causing seizures?
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