To actually feel sorry for the woman driving the car in the Wimbledon car accident

[bagpuss90]

I’m sure I’ll be flamed here . I totally sympathise with the bereaved parents- I can’t stress that enough. I can understand them wanting justice . As we know the driver of the car suffered an epileptic seizure at the wheel - she had no history of epilepsy. I don’t see what she could have done differently. She has to live with what she did although it wasn’t her fault. AIBU to feel quite sorry for her ?

No-one, as far as I am aware, wants the driver punished if she has not committed a crime. It is more an issue of transparency. The parents obviously feel that the police were unforthcoming with regard to informing them of the progress being made in the investigation into the deaths of their children. It’s all very well for the police/CPS to finally come out and say that the driver doesn’t have a case to answer, but the parents want to be able to scrutinise and question the process and evidence which led them to that decision. And why shouldn’t they?

If that's true, it's irrelevant.

Nonsense. DH's cousin developed epilepsy at around 40.

My parents had a good friend whose DD developed it in her 20s.

You're wrong. My sister started to have epileptic seizures at 23 after the birth of her 2nd child. She hasn't had one for at least 15 years (but possibly closer to 20) as it took a couple of years to get her meds right. She's been driving about 7 years now with clearance from her consultant & has to declare to DVLA & insurance. She's regarded as being highly unlikely to have a fit again due to her meds being at the correct dosage.

Because it involves medical information of a third party and there are serious data protection laws that prevent that

Please get some medical knowledge before you say these things...it can occur at of the blue in years after teens...the news can be awful and shocking...Ive an uncle in his late 60s dealing with the news and yes he now cant drive which is a huge shock and surprise and making him and my aunt leave thrie house for one of a bus line.

I feel for the girls and the lady although why she choose such an ugly big car to drive in an urban situation that's her choose.

Because it’s a defining principle of our society that medical information is confidential.

Firstly epilepsy, if that’s what it was (there could be numerous reasons for a first seizure) can start at any age. It’s an electrical problem within the brain and is by no means something only present at birth or starting in childhood. Secondly how is the diagnosis ‘convenient’ when a blood test can determine if a seizure has taken place ? The cost of her home or car has absolutely nothing to do with this. All your post has shown is your ignorance of the condition.

"I think when you are in such a huge car you have a feeling if security for you own safety which can lead to unsafe decisions."

I think an investigation into such a horrible situation would come to an accurate conclusion. The driver wasn't unsafe. Your dog analogy doesn't really work.

Because the medical information of the driver is confidential and should remain that way.

The CPS said that she’d had a seizure and has a subsequent epilepsy diagnosis, not that she ‘could have had a seizure and it can’t be proved otherwise’.

Strange that this is ok to be in the public domain, given the pearl-clutching about allowing the parents more information on the apparent medical episode that led to the deaths of their children

Possibly the woman herself had consented to this information being made public, as it was in her own interests and didn’t disclose anything other than the basics.

What difference would additional medical information make? That’s a genuine question. The medical experts have concluded that she had a seizure, she’d never had one before, and that she satisfies the criteria for a diagnosis of epilepsy. Do you think they should be publishing the results of her neurological testing? Transcripts of her medical appointments?

I feel terribly sorry for her. Imagine the horror she wakes up to every day.

It wasn't just the death of the two pupils, she bashed into the school's grounds and injured many other children and parents. It was an absolutely horrific incident for the school staff who, although I don't recall that any were seriously injured, would be hugely traumatised by the subsequent carnage and grief and having to deal with the fallout amongst the pupils and parents, as well as deal with the driver in the first instance.

State or private, I think the school is an interested party and entitled to take a view/stance. The staff are victims as well, and they're still dealing with the consequences for their pupils everyday.

Plus she had enormous status symbol car, utterly ill-suited for London. Can only assume that letting everyone know she’s rich was more important than practicality or sensibility.

Nope. A blood test can confirm that a seizure has taken place, so would be conclusive proof, therefore no case.

That car dealer is another woman entirely. Different spelling and a mere rep - unlike this woman who describes herself as a homemaker
thesethreerooms.com/bathrooms/calm-bathroom-design-with-mosaic-tiles-and-bronze-fittings/

That still doesn’t alter the fact that if she had a seizure events were beyond her control regardless of the size of her car or her reasons for driving it.

I do think that there is a certain breed of privileged, entitled person who is more concerned with protecting their own position rather than taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions. I'm not saying this woman is one of them (I don't know her, obviously), but there are people who do move on relatively quickly from the harm they cause to others because to them, life is primarily about them.

Spoken to a doctor. Apparently not all seizure can be identified from a blood test as you say. Some type of seizures are actually quite difficult to rule out or confirm.

2 different spellings in your article actually.
You gave me hope but nope, it still can be her and that explains rather unusual car.
And the photos from early articles about the crash match the same profile.

That doesn't mean they get to investigate the case and medical evidence like a pair of 2020s Miss Marples.

The driver will have undergone extensive tests over the year to establish what happened, as epilepsy can and does kill, even without taking into account the circumstances that would make it even more important to be certain of what happened to her.

As my ex SIL quite bluntly says to anybody who questions her diagnosis 'It's pretty fucking hard to fake four seizures whilst you're in a metal tube having your brain scanned, you know'. She also comes across, as many do, as being under the influence when she comes out of a seizure.

No but they get to have a view on it and they get to go public with that view.

I can think of one couple that come to mind who seemed more concerned than anything about protecting their reputation. The mother is a friend of Esther McVey MP.

Regarding the crash, the lesson from this should be that there are restrictions on larger and high performance cars. I'd estimate about 95% plus of people with SUVs do not need them because of where they live, the sooner we are rid of these vehicles the better.