Kerry Kennedy Testifies, Had ‘No Memory’ of I-684 Drive
By Tom Auchterlonie
Testifying on the third day of her trial for alleged impaired driving in July 2012, Kerry Kennedy was unaware that she had been in an accident.
Kennedy, a daughter of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy, explained that she had “no memory” from the time she entered I-684 until her vehicle stopped in the area of Route 22 and Hunter Avenue, an intersection near the highway in Armonk.
Kennedy then recalled a police officer knocking on her window–she was still in her Lexus SUV–and asking if she was all right. She did not believe, in response to questioning, that she had been in an accident, and initially thought that she was fine. Kennedy also did not remember there being anything different about her drive, which began at her Bedford property, prior to getting onto the interstate. Kennedy’s vehicle sideswiped a tractor-trailer while traveling on I-684.
Kennedy, who took the stand in her own defense at the Westchester County courthouse in White Plains on Wednesday, testified that when she exited her car, she saw it was damaged. She also described herself as being scared, dizzy and frightened by the fact that she had no memory of what happened. Kennedy said she was also disturbed that she could not perform testing, which was for sobriety assessment.
Raised repeatedly at the trial was her ingestion of the sleeping medication Zolpidem (also known as Ambien). Kennedy testified about taking a pill that she thought was her thyroid medication. She did not know that she took Zolpidem until drug test results were released from a Westchester County laboratory.
Kennedy has been taking medication since 1991 to address an underactive thyroid. Her use of Zolpidem, which she takes to deal with time zone changes when she travels abroad, was also acknowledged. A picture of the bottles for both medications was displayed. The bottles looked similar, Kennedy said.
On the day of the accident, Kennedy planned to visit a gym and go to New York City. The following Monday she was slated to start a series of trips. They included traveling to California with her two older daughters for college visits, followed by a trip to Italy with her younger daughter and niece. A visit to Uganda with one of her daughters was also planned.
Kennedy is president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights, which was established in 1988. Statements during the trial, both in her testimony and from character witnesses, discussed her role with the center and its programs.
Under cross-examination, prosecutor Doreen Lloyd questioned Kennedy about the sequence of events. Lloyd raised how there were differences in the wording of the two statements for the media that Kennedy gave regarding a possible seizure. The scenario was raised by doctors at Mount Sinai Medical Center where Kennedy had testing done, although she said the results were inconclusive.
Another aspect of Kennedy’s medical history that was brought up in court was an earlier head injury. Driving on a road near her home, she struck a tree with her vehicle due to icy conditions. The injury resulted in Kennedy having trouble with planning, an issue that has since subsided.
The defendant’s testimony, which lasted for most of Wednesday’s court session, followed appearances by three character witnesses who testified on Kennedy’s behalf. Speaking favorably of her were Larry Cox, who serves on the board of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights and who Kennedy also knew from Amnesty International; Alexander Lopez, who served as an assistant to Kennedy; and Emily Liebert, an author and neighbor of the defendant who helped her with a book and who came to her house on the night following the accident.
The trial continues on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.