5/05/2006

Representative Patrick Kennedy Claims that he didn't drink alcohol before crash, but . . .

I have sympathetic to Representative Patrick Kennedy's problems with substance abuse, but he is digging a deeper hole for himself right now.

U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy insisted yesterday that he had consumed “no alcohol” before he slammed his Mustang convertible into a concrete barrier near his office, but a hostess at a popular Capitol Hill watering hole told the Herald she saw him drinking in the hours before the crash. “He was drinking a little bit,” said the woman, who works at the Hawk & Dove and would not give her name. Leaving his office late last night, Kennedy refused to say whether he’d been to the Hawk & Dove the night before.


Kennedy also claims that he did not ask for special treatment, but he did tell the police that he was on the way to a vote and congressmen apparently can't be stopped when that is true.

The Washington Post has a nice roundup on the story that relies on the early news coverage.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

According to press reports Patrick Kennedy had consumed both Ambien a sleep medication and Phenergan for gastroenteritis. Phenergan has a sedation as a strong side effects with appropriate warnings. Ambien if for sleep and one is warned not to take it unless a full eight hours is available for rest.

Ambien in particular as been associated with sleep walking. Perhaps in this case sleep driving. Using both is expected to create significant impairment to driving alone and particularly when taken together.

You have to be very foolish to use them as Rep Kennedy did.

5/09/2006 7:19 PM  
Blogger John Lott said...

Well, presumably the police investigation will provide evidence on whether he was drinking or not. In any event, as you point out, he was driving under the influence. If it were any one else, they would be in trouble in either case.

5/09/2006 7:31 PM  

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