Commerce Secretary Bryson to Take Medical Leave.
Commerce Secretary John Bryson, under investigation for his role in two car crashes in California over the weekend that aides linked to a seizure, said on Monday he will take an immediate medical leave of absence.
. . . he will undergo tests and evaluation.
The leave is indefinite and a Commerce Department official said Bryson would consult with doctors on his next steps. . .
A Commerce official said he had never had a seizure before.
"We cannot confirm the exact timing of the seizure, the cause of the seizure or the sequence of events," the official said. "The secretary was driving alone and at this point he has a limited recall of the events." . .
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, which would handle any prosecution in this case, told Reuters that so far no charges have been formally filed.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore said Bryson has been officially cited on suspicion of a felony hit-and-run offense in connection with the first accident. . .
Gholam Motamedi, a neurologist at Georgetown University Medical Center and an expert in seizures, said the most common type of seizure - a partial seizure - can last just minutes and leave people confused.
"They often last one to two minutes and then gradually they come out of it ... They've lost their awareness," said Motamedi, who has no ties to Bryson or the case. "Obviously, it can be very dangerous if you're driving."
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/06/12/us/12reuters-usa-bryson-crash-statement.html?pagewanted=1&hp
