Kennedy Blames Accident on Sleep Medicine

AP ^ | 5/4/06 | ANDREW MIGA

[Jean S]

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness.

Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'

Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.

Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes in Congress and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another prescribed drug that he occasionally takes to fall asleep.

"Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote," his second statement said. "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."

Kennedy appeared to be intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustand into a barrier on Capitol Hill early Thursday morning, said Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Cannon, who was not there, said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home.

No sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.

A letter written by a Capitol Police officer to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Kennedy said he was late for a vote, officer Greg Baird said in the letter to McGaffin. Baird is acting chairman of the Capitol Hill chapter of the FOP police union. The last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier.

Kennedy said he was driven home by Capitol police.

"At no time did I ask for any special consideration," he said. "I simply complied with what the officers asked me to do."

Kennedy, the son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., and his staff declined to discuss any further details of the accident. The congressman took part in House votes Thursday.

Capitol Police did not immediately return phone calls for comment. They issued a one-line statement saying they were investigating a traffic violation that occurred early in the morning at that location.

Baird wrote McGaffin that two sergeants who responded to the accident conferred with the watch commander and were ordered to leave the scene.

He said that after the officers left, Capitol Police officials gave Kennedy a ride home.

Kennedy spent time at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he went to Providence College. He has been open about mental health issues, including being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

___

Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.

[RacerX1128]

I have taken Ambien for insomnia. Ambien does not make you "stagger" it simply puts you to sleep and it does not make you disoriented enough to think there's a vote at 3am. Kennedy is full of s--t. He was hammered. He's lying. He's a Kennedy.

[plain talk]

OK. So it wasn't alcohol, it was DRUGS. Yeah, that makes it better.

[lawdude]

In Arizona, impairment by alcohol, legal drug or illegal drug is still a DUI/DWI!

[LucyJo]

"At no time did I ask for any special consideration," he said. "I simply complied with what the officers asked me to do."
~~~~~~~~~

We all know that a Kennedy would never ASK for special consideration. Some of them sure do seem to EXPECT it, and there are various ways of indicating what you expect.

[razorback-bert]

In today's Texas it is and he would have automatically been arrested.

[don-o]

Boocephus!!

[bugman]

Kennedy's doctor's records should be subpoenaed.

[khnyny]

Rita Cosby of MSNBC just did a segment on Kennedy and Anderson Cooper is doing one on CNN.

[TommyDale]

Just like his daddy. Take about 18 hours and buy some time to invent a story and coverup. The Capitol Police Watch Commander who overruled taking a DWI test should be fired, and Congressman Kennedy should be removed from office. Corruption is not limited to Republicans after all.

[eddie willers]

I will chime in with this. My FIL had Ambien for a time. Made him nuttty. Discontinued it.

I'll chime in too.

I have read reports of people getting up out of bed and sleep-driving under Ambien.

We may want to hold our fire for right now.

[DocRock]

[LucyT]

LOL, I knew this would be a good thread.

[Stand W]

Is Patrick a nephew or a son of Ted?

[avital2]

son

[Cecily]

Sleep "medicine" made me crash my car. Yeah, that's the ticket!

[curlewbird]

That'd be the one!!

[Hildy]

Meanwhile, there was a story on TV tonight about a 69 year old grandmother who went to jail for 10 days because she was scared to come out of her car when the police pulled her over and drew their guns on her. Because she "resisted arrest" (in her car), she's going to jail.

[cripplecreek]

Kennedy's doctor's records should be subpoenaed.

No kidding. They should also get his bank records and search his house. Fair is fair.

[Bush gal in LA]

Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.............Couldn't get this song out of my head when I heard about Kennedy

[Hoodat]

Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes in Congress and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another prescribed drug that he occasionally takes to fall asleep. "Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote," his second statement said. "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."

So Kennedy confesses to driving under the influence. There should be nothing standing in the way of a prosecutor filing DUI charges in this case.