For decades, Kerry Kennedy has been the type of person who appears in places that most of us only read about. She has fought for indigenous land rights in far-flung parts of the world, sat across the table from human rights violators, and pushed legislation through a reluctant state senate. She was no longer the one covering the story in July 2012, and it had nothing to do with politics or policy. It was related to what was going on in her brain.
Sometime before eight in the morning on a typical Wednesday, Kennedy’s Lexus SUV collided with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 684 in Westchester County, New York. She was discovered driving by state troopers, seemingly oblivious to what had just transpired. She later claimed that she couldn’t recall anything from the time she merged onto the highway until a police officer pulled up to her car at a traffic light a while later. That gap is the kind of detail that usually stops neurologists cold—a whole, continuous section of highway driving without conscious memory.
At first, police showed less interest in the neurology. Kennedy was charged after a later investigation found that she had been driving while under the influence of drugs. When the Kennedy surname is mentioned in a police report, the media reacts swiftly. In a moment of seeming vulnerability, there was conjecture, conjecture, and the typical cacophony that surrounds any prominent name.
Kennedy, however, retaliated in a manner that seemed remarkably careless. “It is theoretically possible that I might have taken an Ambien rather than a thyroid pill” that morning, she told reporters during a press conference following her not-guilty plea. That sentence didn’t sound like damage control; it was cautious, circumspect, and almost clinical. It sounded like a sincere attempt to piece together what had transpired. It’s not always subtle, but there is a difference.
Shortly after the collision, she was examined at Northern Westchester Hospital. Alcohol, prescription drugs, and recreational drugs all had negative results. There was a purposeful silence surrounding the question of whether her thyroid medication had arrived, and she failed to confirm. Her already complex medical picture was further complicated by the discovery of traces of a sleep aid in her system during a subsequent blood test. When someone unintentionally takes a sedative rather than a thyroid medication and then drives, that is a situation that should be taken seriously. However, it turned out that the sleep aid might not have been necessary.
Kennedy went to Mount Sinai Medical Center for what she called a full battery of neurological tests because she was determined to find out what had truly happened inside her body. Unexpectedly, the MRI results showed a hyperdense region on the right side of her brain, which was consistent with a prior head injury she had reportedly suffered at some point. Her doctors concluded that a complex partial seizure, not a sleeping pill, was most likely the cause of the crash based on those findings.
Complex partial seizures don’t resemble seizures as most people think. There isn’t a sharp decline. No convulsions are visible. While essentially absent in the moment, the person may carry on with whatever they were doing, such as talking, walking, or driving. Without imaging and a thorough history, it’s the kind of event that’s easy to ignore and actually challenging to identify.
Kerry Kennedy’s illness emerged against the backdrop of a life already filled with loss and stress, regardless of whether the seizure was caused by that old head injury or something else entirely. After her father was assassinated in 1968, she had discussed in later years how her family displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In the Kennedy era, health was never an abstract concept. It had a history and was specific.
In 2014, a jury heard the criminal case and found her not guilty of driving under the influence. By then, public perception had subtly shifted. This was not a tale of carelessness. In the midst of a court case and under intense public scrutiny, a woman had to deal with a medical event that had no warning and no clear explanation.
Whether Kennedy has had a recurrence since that summer is still unknown. She hasn’t stated anything. It’s hard not to believe the most amazing part of the entire episode—more than the crash itself—was her courage to appear on camera and explain her own vulnerability at a time when everything else seemed to be moving toward a more straightforward story.
FAQs
1. What caused Kerry Kennedy’s 2012 car crash?
Doctors concluded a complex partial seizure, likely linked to a previous head injury, was responsible.
2. Was Kerry Kennedy found to be drunk or on drugs?
Hospital tests came back negative for alcohol, recreational drugs, and prescription drugs.
3. What did Kerry Kennedy’s MRI reveal?
It showed an area of hyperdensity on the right side of her brain.
4. Was Kerry Kennedy convicted for driving while impaired?
A jury acquitted her in 2014.
5. What is a complex partial seizure?
It’s a seizure where the person remains physically active but has no conscious awareness.