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Subscribe to RSSU.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson, who suffered a seizure and was found unconscious at the wheel of his car, is back in Washington, D.C., recuperating. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Updated at 10:47 p.m. ET: U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson has announced he will take a medical leave after being hospitalized following a car accident Saturday afternoon. Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank will assume his duties, according to a statement from Bryson's office.
Bryson suffered a seizure Saturday afternoon, Commerce Department officials said Monday, but it wasn't clear whether the medical episode preceded or followed a hit-and-run collision. Bryson has not had a seizure before, said a department official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secretary's medical history.
Bryson has a "limited recall of the events," the official told The Associated Press.
Medical records could determine whether Bryson will be charged in two weekend fender-benders that led to his hospitalization. Police found him slumped behind the wheel of his vehicle outside of Los Angeles.
The crashes drew attention because of possible health concerns involving a member of President Barack Obama's Cabinet, as well as the challenge investigators face when trying to determine if someone should be held criminally responsible because of adverse health.
Obama said Monday he has not yet spoken with Bryson about the crashes, but that he hopes “he’s doing all right.”
Speaking to NBC’s Sioux Falls, Iowa, affiliate KTIV, Obama said that he was first told about the car crashes on Monday morning.
“My hope is that he’s doing all right,” Obama told KTIV. “We’re still trying to find out, it sounds like it was health-related in some way but we’re going to make sure that obviously he gets the best care.”
Bryson, 68, was driving alone in a Lexus in San Gabriel, a community of about 40,000 northeast of Los Angeles, when he struck the rear of a vehicle that had stopped for a passing train, authorities said.
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He spoke briefly with the three occupants and then hit their car again as he departed, investigators said. They followed him while calling police.
He was cited for felony hit-and-run, although he has not been charged.
Bryson then struck a second car in the nearby city of Rosemead, where he was found unconscious in his car, authorities said.
Bryson has returned to Washington, Commerce Department spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman said.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said the administration was gathering information about the incidents.
"We're obviously concerned about the incident, about the health-related issues that played a role in this incident," Carney said.
Officials said Bryson was not on state business and did not have a security detail at the time of the accidents. He was driving a personal car and was given medication to treat the seizure.
Bryson took a Breathalyzer test that didn't detect any alcohol, but investigators were awaiting the results from a blood test, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker.
Two people in the first collision were treated by paramedics, authorities said. A couple involved in the second crash declined medical aid.
The case was being reviewed by sheriff's investigators and will likely be submitted to prosecutors in the coming days.
"In most cases, it is presented to the DA's office to make a decision," sheriff's Lt. Margarito Robles said.
Defense attorney Steve Meister said authorities will be examining why the crashes happened.
"It's difficult to assign criminal liability when someone was medically unconscious," Meister said. "They have to be aware what was happening."
Meister said he has represented people who have been involved in crashes while having seizures. He recalled how one woman struck another vehicle and didn't remember anything that transpired.
No one was injured, but the woman was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence because she was acting disoriented, Meister said. The woman didn't have any drugs or alcohol in her system, but she pleaded to a misdemeanor crime.
"It turns out she had a history (of seizures)," Meister said. "If I was (Bryson's) lawyer, I would try to find all the evidence there was to back up what he's already said."
The episode is consistent with someone who has suffered a series of epileptic seizures, said Dr. Jerome Engel Jr., a neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who is not involved in Bryson's care.
After a seizure, a person is often confused, and that state of confusion can last for a while.
"You may even seem to be alert and awake, but you're not really behaving normally," Engel said.
Under California law, a doctor has to report a patient who complains of lapses of consciousness or whose epileptic seizures pose an impairment to driving. In those cases, a person can't drive unless he's been seizure-free for three months.
Bryson had been in California last week to deliver the commencement address Thursday at Pasadena Polytechnic School, where his four children attended. The K-12 school said in a statement that he urged students to pursue their passions, to serve their country, and to value their education and friendships.
Obama swore in the former utility executive as the head of the Commerce Department in October, after easily overcoming conservatives' objections that his pro-environmental views made him unsuited for the job.
As secretary, Bryson is a member of the president's economic team and has worked to promote job creation. He has advised on energy issues, particularly in the clean energy sector.
Bryson is the former head of Edison International, the holding company that owns Southern California Edison. Bryson has served on boards of major corporations, including the Boeing Co. and the Walt Disney Co.
He helped oversee Edison's transformation into a leading wind and solar company and launched a plan to turn 65 million square feet of unused commercial rooftops into solar power stations with enough electricity for more than 160,000 homes.
Meister believes the case will be sent to prosecutors for review.
"It will ensure a full investigation because no one will want to be accused of sweeping this under the rug," he said. "If there is a reject (of charges), the sheriff will want the DA to share in the responsibility of that decision."
NBC News' Ali Weinberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Yet another quality Obama Administration employee. The only question is what excuse will be given.
Seized by demon "spirits" no doubt. It's mighty nice of the LAPD to let him out of the state without so much as a bail hearing after a felony arrest.
I wonder if ordinary citizens can now count on such courtesy from the boys in blue there in sunny southern California?
He has had a seizure (breaking news). No booze, nothing as suggested in the posts above. Await the evidence before having an opinion.
That will be the end of his driving for a while. I know in most states, if you are reported as having a seizure, your license is lifted, and you have to have a medical certification that you are seizure-free before you get it back. There is usually a requirement to be seizure-free for at least 6 - 12 months before you can get it back.
Don't worry. Eric Holder will "fix" it.
Was his trunk full of guns on the way to Mexico for Holder? ;)
A seizure, could be. Lets see how the Gov. plays this out out. You know they will be truthful in their findings???
There really isn't any way to make this into a political issue.
Apparently you haven't actually been reading some of the comments here.
What kind of seizure? What was the cause? Need more information.
Why? Are you his doctor? You have absolutely no right to more information, and divulging any without the patient's consent is a violation of HIPAA.
He's a cabinet level public servant. The public is his employer and any physical condition which may affect his performance should be disclosed.
He's a public government official who was the cause of not one, but two separate accidents and you don't think we the public deserve a few more details about this medical condition, which til now has never been enough to keep him from driving? A seizure that made him hit one car, hit it AGAIN while leaving the scene of the accident, and hit yet another car sometime later?
I have to admit, it has me curious. I've never heard of that kind of seizure before, besides maybe a diabetic one.
What did you not understand about HIPAA? Your and the public's curiosity does not make it an obligation for his doctors to divulge private medical details, period. The public deserves nothing more than what it got so far. There are many types of seizures, and the cause is irrelevant, because once you have a seizure when driving, you are no longer allowed to drive in most states, until you can be medically certified as capable, and seizure free. What kind of fool would a doctor have to be to sign off on a seizure-prone individual's right to drive again, which would make the doctor liable in the event of another accident?
There are many types of seizures, and the cause is irrelevant...
Is it now. Irrelevant if perhaps he had experienced a minor (or not so minor) stroke? Irrelevant if it were an early-stage alzheimer's or other dementia episode?
The fact that some government guy had a car accident is not what has people wanting medical details. The fact that he had an accident, left the scene after hitting the car a second time, and going on to hit another one in the course of a few minutes is making folks wonder about his general state of health right now. And I still say rightly so.
Outside of HIPAA, an employer may ask an employee for documentation of medical conditions that may affect the performance of their duties. Secretary Bryson is an public employee, we are the public.
For now, how about we assume due to the circumstances of the accident and his age, that this could be a medical issue. Right away people start with politics, this could be one of the folks that live right down the street from you. All we can do is hope the police perform a clean and open investigation, and in this case it needs to be very visible to all of us. Including the world news, things like will affect the world markets.
So sorry to hear that he had a seizure. I hope he will be okay.
The majority of comments are immature, showing little regard to him or what this story is about.
Actually, I hope the poor innocent people who he almost RAMMED into the path on an oncoming train are also OK!
The guy had a seizure.....The hate posters here are so partisan that their humanity is questionable. There is no decency in the far right. I sincerely hope that they all move to Alaska after the prez wins in November and do the decent folks a favor...
Are you implying that there are no decent folks in Alaska? That seems to be quite a broad generalization, based on sheer ignorance, and a lack of any real world experience. Grow up, learn how to speak with a base line of intelligence, and stop being such a political based hack.
Another example of Hussein Zero's Incompetent dis-administration. Man in charge of Commerce ("The economy is NOT doing fine.") can't even drive a car. Next!
History rewritten. This guy had no seizure, its just cover for his drunk driving. The administration is trying to save face this election year.
Cite?
Doesn't everyone know? Mr Orwell knows everything. Just ask him.
or did he just think that he could get away with hit and run because he is the commerce secretary?
actually, looking at his pic, he looks like a hard core boozer. You can't judge that way but he looks strung out.
Yeah right. One of our State Representatives, Larry Womble, had a seisure and killed a drunk driving neighbor they still charged him. Seisures don't last long enough to get invoved in two differnt wrecks minutes apart. I'm not buying that. Perhaps he's not physically fit to be a Secretary.
never mind my visual observation of this man's pic. I pass.
Seizure my arss, you watch this will all be swept under the rug.
Did this guy go to the Kennedy school of driving and excuses? A democrat would never lie about a traffic accident right?
neither would a republican. It is not a political behavior but human; a basic need to save his ass.
So he suffered a seizure??? When did he experience the seizure??? He hit the first car twice and then went on to hit yet another car. Before anyone says it was a seizure, all tests should be completed.
According to the article he was hospitalized, medicated and already released.
they cannot tell. He would have had to be hooked up to an EEG machine while it went on. They can only assume. There is a blood test that shows a hormone present after a seizure but it has to be done 10 or no later than 20 minutes after the onset. Later than that is not valid. I doubt he had a blood test within that short time.....so assume it is. I also doubt he would have allowed anyone to draw blood......after the accident.
I doubt you read the article in its entirety prior to jumping into the comments.
I doubt anyone involved in multiple fender-benders & then found *unconscious* in his vehicle & taken to the hospital wouldn't want to fully cooperate w/ ER staff in finding out what just went wrong w/ his health.
He seems to have been very cooperative as he also blew a Breathalyzer test. That would seem to indicate a degree of disorientation & reason to suspect him of driving under the influence....& that appearance can be caused by a multitude of medical conditions.
Fire the guy. How efficient can he be at his job if he can't even drive...for whatever reasons ? At times of job shortages, there should be plenty efficient and qualified people to take over his prestigious gig.
So diabetics, epileptics, victims of traumatic brain injury and anyone else who doesn't meet your health criteria should be denied employment? That seems to be what you are saying. Nice.
Seriously?
So you're saying anyone w/ any type of medical problem shouldn't be *allowed* to work?
Do his job duties involve driving constantly? It's not like he's a long-haul trucker.
So now you're saying anyone who can't drive, for whatever reason, shouldn't be *allowed* to work?
Well, let's just shut down all of that unneeded public transportation nonsense right this minute if the new criteria for holding a job also means auto ownership & a driver's license.
Or he could just turn into one of those *job creators* & hire a driver when necessary.
Do you seriously think Cabinet members don't already have drivers when working? [eye roll]
This incident took place on his own time & in his personal vehicle. *If* he's certified as medically unable to drive (forgot to incl it above, but an EEG alone would be indicative of seizure activity after the fact), I'm sure he either has relatives who can chauffeur him when he's not working, or he can well afford to call a cab or hire a car, let alone take a bus or the subway.
But yeah....let's just fire him immediately, & b4 all the facts & evidence in the case are in.
B/c you think that's a great idea.
Good grief.
These facts and figures say quite the contrary to what Willard has been touting as his economic triumphs.
Since Willard refuses to tell us what his grand plan is to restore economic prosperity to all
citizens of this country, not just the 1% bank-rolling his campaign, every American with a functioning brain cell should take a long hard look at what Willard accomplished during his tenure as Governor of MA;
If this is considered success – I would hate to see what the RWNJ’s consider failure…
Willard is a dog-hating, store bought cookie snob, serial flip-flopper, draft dodger!
When did it become acceptable in this country to support someone with no core, moral
compass or integrity?
30+ years of the disastrous trickle policies led us to the brink; do we really want to take the plunge to finish the job, if given the choice?
Figures don't lie, but liars sure figure !!!
IF my candidate's name was Hussein, I would likely not want to make fun of Willard! LOL
The guy has the money to back him up and the fools to follow him. He is inept and fame driven. I am fairly sure he will lose but it will be a tight one, tighter than I expected. Obama is the better man though not perfect. With Romney, the US would go down quicker than GWB demolition jobs.
For those of you who obviously have no idea, there are different types of seizures. It is very feasible that he suffered a seizure that caused the first accident, then drove off disoriented. You can function after coming out of a seizure, but you will have no recollection. Also, most states require you to be seizure free for 6 months before they will give you your license back.
who is going to tell whether you are seizure free or not unless you are hooked up to an EEG machine for 6 months ? This "science" is hit and miss, mostly miss . The drugs do not correct the problem completely as they turn you into a zombie, unable to function, anyway.
First of all, an EEG machine is not necessary to diagnosed most seizures. Second, drugs don't correct the problem but they do manage it. I have been seeing the same neurologist for 6 years and have had 2 seizures in that time frame. That is managed. I was having them monthly. I function very highly thank you. If you don't know what you are talking about, don't talk.
Um. no. They really don't *turn you into a zombie* or make you *unable to function*. You obvs have no experience w/ this sort of thing.
My friend who has seizures experiences about 2-3 per yr on her meds, which she has been taking since her teens. She is certainly able to function perfectly *normal* & is in no way *zombiefied* from her meds. Quite the opposite as she has a very animated personality. And manages to get around just fine being certified unable to drive. Her meds control her condition so well that I've never even witnessed her having a seizure.
I also take a seizure med *off-label* (that means it was developed to be an anti-convulsant, but it also works as a medication for other conditions that do not involve seizures at all) & I don't think any *zombie* could be as long-winded & articulate as I am.
IF I had to carry the water bucket for the Obozo regime's socialist economic manifesto, I would likely have a stroke too!
Yeah, after speaking with the occupants in the first car he hit and then electing to drive away, he had a seizure after realizing he was probably going to jail for doing a "hit and run". Idiot...
Just another drugged up government official. I've known several people with seizure issue, none of them were just given medication in that short a time and sent on their way. I smell a cover up!!!
Your tinfoil hat is much too tight. You know nothing of medicine, and your use of anecdotal tales is utterly worthless. Your sense of smell is obviously impaired. As is your sense.
Actually, you are normally given medication in the ER and then released.
I wonder if it was the same type of "seizure" that caused Ted Kennedy to drive off that bridge and let that girl drown to death.
Tubby - that was forty years ago - BLAH BLAH BLAH - there was no seizure - I drove that little strip of land and frankly a couple of drinks you would miss it entirely
Now BLAH BLAH BLAH when the hell are you going to give it up?
You don't care about Bush killing 45,000 of our good men and women - and crippling another what 35,000 men and women but you care about a silly girl getting into a car with a guy that had too much to drink?
Ever hear about RIP - if not Tubby - there are other forces that I am friendly with that can make you itch in the night - not where you want to itch - you realize - if you continue this garbage - you might suffer - voodoo is a wonderful thing
So my advice to you is grow up - so I don't have to call my friends!
Obama-- associates with epileptics. For many centuries, epilepsy was believed to be the result of demonic possession.
It is certified fact that no birth certificates are issued in the netherworld.
Obama is clearly proven to be a Satan Worshipper.
That would include Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts, who meets the definition of a person with epilepsy, since he has had at least two seizures with no known cause.
And you have been reported.
Sarcasm is reported now?
Nice.
The fact that numerous posters were chomping at the bit to capitalize on this new "scandal" when it was in fact an unfortunate accident makes it relevant for me to point out how unreasonable their accusations tend to be, in my opinion.
It somehow makes things have less impact when thay are qualified with:
--This outrageous statement is sarcasm. Please do not take it literally. Really, it is not meant to be a literal statement, which most people realize because it is patently outlandish. The underlying point is that the outlandish statement is more akin to the unreasonable conspiracy theories that some of the population believe, despite all evidence, such as the birther issue.---
I have a lovely 19-year-old college kid who will never, ever drive any motor vehicle due to the epilepsy that appeared 8 years ago out of the blue. Her condition is very misunderstood by just about everyone she meets, and she's had outlandish stuff aimed at her directly. When the stigma around seizure disorders is removed, might make the sarcasm easier to take. My apologies.
That is a tough break.
It seems that a strong stigma still exists for any condition involving brain function. Hopefully this will improve as we learn more about how the brain works.
Fingers crossed.