Kennedy Pleads Not Guilty to DWI; May Have Suffered Seizure
A possible seizure from an old head injury or a mix-up in medication may have caused Kerry Kennedy to become disoriented leading to her accident with a tractor-trailer on I-684 last Friday morning.
Kennedy, who pleaded not guilty early Tuesday evening in North Castle Justice Court to a driving while impaired charge, said in a prepared statement after her brief court appearance that doctors told her following tests that she may have suffered a seizure. She was driving southbound on the interstate in her 2008 Lexus from her Bedford home at the time of the crash shortly after 8 a.m. on July 13.
Blood and urine tests and a neurological evaluation were conducted at Northern Westchester Hospital and Mt. Sinai Hospital, she said. Kennedy, 52, said the blood and urine tests came back clean.
“Those tests along with the Breathalyzer I took at the police station indicated no alcohol, recreational drugs or prescription medication in my system,” said Kennedy, accompanied by her sister, Rory, her brother, Chris, and her attorney Robert Gottlieb. They took no questions from the media.
Doctors at Mt. Sinai told her that she may have suffered a “complex partial seizure” stemming from a previous injury, Kennedy said. She did not elaborate on the nature of the injury.
Kennedy also left open the possibility that she may have mistakenly taken Ambien, a sleeping pill that she uses about once a month, instead of her daily thyroid medication that morning. She said she had no memory of her drive before the crash between Exits 3 and 4 on I-684 until she was pulled over by a North Castle police officer on Route 22 in Armonk. Her car had suffered damage, including a flat tire, as a result of the accident and she pulled off the highway.
Appearing before Town Justice Elyse Lazansky in an electric blue dress and black heels, Kennedy was released on her own recognizance with two conditions–that she is fingerprinted within 48 hours and she undergoes an evaluation by a Treatment Assessment Services for the Courts (TASC) counselor. She is scheduled to return to town court on Aug. 14.
“I have no history of drug or alcohol abuse,” Kennedy said in her statement.
During the court appearance, Lazansky, in making her decision to release Kennedy, noted that the defendant had no criminal record and no prior history of drug abuse.
Kennedy, founder of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights, also apologized to the truck driver and other motorists on the road.
“Northern Westchester is my home and I care deeply about my neighbors and my community,” she said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
