It's Just Not Worth It
Contributor
Written by
Danielle Watkins
April 2016
Contributor
Written by
Danielle Watkins
April 2016

“It's just not worth it.”

Those words really stung the first time I heard them. After my second car accident, those horrid words were repeated over and over. I have always been a strong headed individual. It takes me a while to accept things, and this was something that I just couldn't accept despite how true it was.

Not too long ago I opened up about my recent surgery to someone else I found to have epilepsy. What he thought to have been signs of a brain tumor turned out to be break through seizures. He talked as if it wasn't anything to think twice about.

“A couple months back I started having auras and partial seizures. I thought I had a brain tumor or something.” 

But wait... Didn't he just drive his family to the very same dinner we were talking at? Now I don't know the whole story, but what I do know is that if he had been having partial seizures he shouldn't have been driving. I watched all of them leave together in a car and felt like I should have said something more. At the same time, it is his call to make. I can only hope that he knows the repercussions of his actions.


In December 2015, Colorado driver Christopher Booker had a seizure while driving and ended up hitting a group of police officers seriously injuring one. It came to light that the driver had not been honest with the DMV, alerting them that his condition was not under controlled. The most recent article from the Denver Post,Driver who hit Denver officer Adsit sentenced to 6 years in community corrections, discusses the charges that Booker faced.

"I am deeply sorry and remorseful," he said. "I take full responsibility for my actions. I never believed this would happen to me while I was driving." Christopher Booker


It stings to hear that you can't drive. But the consequences of doing so while knowing that your epilepsy isn't 100% controlled truly isn't worth it. Booker owes over $600,000 in restitution and was sentenced to 6 years of community corrections.

As of right now, Colorado doesn't require to have physicians to report patients who have or are being treated for epilepsy. Physicians are required to tell their patients to wait 3-6 months after a seizure before driving again. After that, it is more of a judgment call that the person has to make. You and your family have to think hard and ask the question: Is it worth driving knowing that my seizures aren't fully controlled?

The Las Vegas Sun article, Criminal charges dropped for Nevada driver who killed 2 kids, reported a similar case as Booker's, but this time the accident resulted in death. The article reads that in June of 2015, Sheldon Berg had a seizure which caused him to crash his SUV into a home, killing two young children. The charges were dropped, but I can't imagine how you could continue living with yourself knowing that an accident that kills two people could have been prevented.

“His (Berg) driver's license has been suspended at least six times since 2002.”


It took two car accidents, and a long and scary conversation with my husband, to know it was time for me to trade in my car keys for a bus pass. These horror stories of injuring others and the legal repercussions of driving while knowing that your seizures aren't controlled truly isn't worth it.

Not being honest to the DMV about any disorder that could impair your ability to drive is one to seriously consider before getting back in line at the DMV. To find out what your state's laws are regarding driving and epilepsy please see the link provided by The Epilepsy Foundation of America.

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