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1 Pedestrian Dead, Another Hurt After Driver Has Seizure

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TBO.com

Published: March 11, 2009

Updated: 03/11/2009 04:26 pm

A 19-year-old man was killed and 19-year-old woman injured when a driver having a seizure lost control of his car on Park Boulevard and hit the pair on a sidewalk Tuesday in Seminole.

The Florida Highway Patrol said Zachary Paul Baker of Largo was killed about 7:55 p.m. Monday and Jendi Leigh Schroeder of Safety Harbor was seriously injured.

They were walking west on a sidewalk next to Park Boulevard west of 113th Street North when Kyle Figler, 19, of Seminole, was driving a 2009 Cadillac when he had a seizure. The car veered onto the sidewalk, the patrol said.

The car hit both pedestrians, and Baker died at the scene. Schroeder was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with what the patrol described as serious injuries.

Figler and a passenger, Antionette Calhoon, 19, of Largo, were not injured. But Figler was taken to Largo Medical Center so his seizure condition could be evaluated, said Sgt. Steve Gaskins, a spokesman for the patrol. Witnesses and paramedics confirmed it appeared he had suffered from a seizure, Gaskins said.

Alcohol was not involved, he said.

No charges will be filed, Gaskins said. However, a medical report will be filed so Figler's driving ability can be reviewed by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Gaskins said.

According to the highway safety department, Figler has had his driver's license since June 2005 and has no traffic citations.

Ann Nucatola, a spokeswoman for the agency, said an applicant for a driver's license is asked whether he or she has a physical condition whose symptoms include seizures.

If the answer is yes, the agency then asks for documentation from a physician to the effect that the applicant hasn't had a seizure for at least six months. If the applicant has had no seizures during that time, then the driver's license is granted.

Once drivers have their license, they are not required to inform the department of motor vehicles if their medical condition changes, she said.

It could not be determined whether Figler has a condition that might have prevented him from getting a driver's license. Telephone calls to his home were not returned.

If a driver has a documented seizure, the driver will not be able to get behind the wheel unless he doesn't have any more seizures for at least six months, Nucatola said.

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