Chicago man seeks law to keep blackout sefferers from driving
On Jan 30, 2005, Vanessa Grimes, 27, of Chicago, was killed when the car she was driving was struck head-on by a sedan driven by a man who was told by his doctors not to drive.
Spyridon Botsis, 30 of Niles, suffers from blackouts and was instructed by his doctor not to operate a motor vehicle.
Ignoring his doctors instructions, Botsis was driving the sedan that killed Grimes. Now, Maurice Grimes, Vanessa's father, is proposing legislation that would prevent people who suffer from blackouts, from operating a motor vehicle. State lawmakers will be taking the legislation under consideration this spring.
The legislation would require physicians to report their patients who suffer from blackouts to the Illinois Secretary of State's office. Their licenses would then be revoked.
Henry Haupt, a spokesperson for the Illinois Secretary of State's Office believes that it will be difficult to get the legislation past. He also is concerned about requiring a physician to report their patients. "Our concern with the proposed legislation is that it could be counteproductive in that it may discourage patients from being honest with their doctors."
Dr. Shastri Swminathan, president of the Illinois State Medical Society, states that while they encourage their members to report patients who suffer from any serious medical condition that could affect their driving, they do not require them to do so. Swaminathan believes that it could be very difficult to enforce the requirments.
Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Cath Crowley, prosecuted Botsis. According to Crowley, Botsis' doctor was not clear as to why Botsis was suffering from blackouts.
Under Illinois law, a driver who suffers from certain serious health problems such as seizures, epilepsy and some heart conditions, is required to report their condition to the Illinois Secretary of State's Office along with documentation from their doctor. The information from the doctor should state that the patient is under active medical care and that the doctor feels it is safe for them to get behind the wheel.
According to state records, less than a year before the fatal crash that killed Grimes, Botsis was involed in a minor traffic accident in which he blacked out.
Grimes says that his family is haunted by Vanessa's death. They are determined to see some good come from it.
"There's still a lot of horrible negative emotions being carried around by my family," Grime said. "i wish I had the ability to forgive this guy and move on, but it was murder. I'm going to continue to work on this."
