Georgia Injury Law Blog
A Marietta motorist, who was involved in a multi-vehicle auto accident, insists that the car accident was the result of a seizure that he suffered while driving.Police have already filed charges against him. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the auto accident occurred when the driver’s Ford F-250 struck another pickup truck on the same street.The motorist drove off after the accident and struck two more vehicles, before finally veering off the road and crashing into a tree.
Fortunately, the car accident did not result in life-threatening injuries for other drivers involved.The motorist has been charged with hit-and-run, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain lane and driving under a suspended license. Car accident attorneys regularly see cases in which a defendant driver claims a medical condition caused the accident. In order for this defense to be successful in a civil case, they must establish not only that the medical condition caused the accident, but that the medical condition was not known or it was not known that the medical condition would result in the issue which occurred.
Police say that he was fleeing the accident scene when he crashed, but the motorist claims that he has a history of epilepsy.According to him, he suffered a seizure at the time of the accident.The motorist says that he suffered petit mal seizures in his childhood, and was placed on medication.However, he stopped taking the medications after the seizures ended.The last time he had a grand mal seizure was three years ago.He does not know what caused this latest seizure that he suffered during the accident.According to him, he has no recollection of any of the events leading up to the accident.
Police records show that he has had a number of other charges filed against him in the past.For instance, he was once charged with driving under a suspended license, and driving with expired tags.In one instance, he was jailed for failing to appear in court.
Police have still not confirmed his claims about his medical condition, and the alleged history of epilepsy.For instance, we don’t know how serious his condition was, and whether he should have been driving at all.Some members of the police department have spoken to the media, saying that there is no evidence that supports this claim of a history of epilepsy.
Unfortunately, Atlanta car accident attorneys see that accidents do occur because of medical conditions.An individual may suffer a stroke or even a heart attack at the wheel.A person may suffer seizures or blackouts, or slip into a diabetic coma, while driving, many times with horrific consequences.This is one of the reasons why drivers must take complete responsibility for their own medical condition, and monitor their ability to drive safely.
Some categories of drivers may be at a much higher risk of medically impaired driving than others.For instance, senior drivers may be at a much higher risk of suffering illnesses that affect their ability to drive safely.These drivers may suffer from more than one medical condition.They may be under a combination of medications for several illnesses, and the side effects and complications that result from drug interactions can increase the risk of impaired driving.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent persons injured in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia.