Los Angeles prosecutor won't file charges against ex-Commerce secretary: Seizure is no crime
I'm neither a supporter nor a detractor of former Commerce Secretary John Bryson. Quite frankly, I'd never even heard of him until the recent string of news stories involving his having 2 auto accidents that were apparently caused by his having a seizure behind the wheel.
The San Gabriel (California) Police Department? Reports say they sought to charge Bryson with felony hit-and run for his accident- though supporting evidence for the charge was scant at best.
LA County prosecutors? They looked over the chain of events- then listened to and believed the assertions of Bryson and his doctors that he'd indeed had a seizure.
This is a great turn of events for a few reasons- the most immediate being that Bryson won't be charged for the seizure and its associated cause, but also in that any high-profile case like this offers an educational and awareness opportunity.
I've spoken about it before, but I'll offer my accident report from nearly 15 years ago (end of this month) below in that same spirit of raising awareness. On that late July afternoon, I waved to my friend Justin as we left work- and woke up in an ambulance a very short time later. Like Bryson, I'd had a seizure behind the wheel
Unlike in Bryson's case, however, the Virginia State Police charged me with reckless driving. Along with getting accustomed to my initial fears of having another seizure behind the wheel (or any seizure, for that matter), I had to fight a ticket for the medical condition that caused my wreck.
Prosecutor gets it right- a seizure's no crime
Here's hoping the light shining on John Bryson's case burns for a while- and that as with my own challenge, his personal challenge will serve to help others similarly situated down the road.
And here's hoping the folks with the San Gabriel Police Department are among the first to reap the benefits of the knowledge that medical emergencies as these do exist- and that those suffering from their effects deserve understanding and respect versus criminal charges and handcuffs.
May God bless John Bryson and his family.
Prosecutor gets it right- a seizure's no crime
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