Lewis & Tompkins Blog

Woman With Epilepsy Convicted Of Manslaughter After Fatal Beltway Car Accident

In 2007, 28-year-old Michele Bosley blacked out while driving on the Beltway due either to her epilepsy or to her epilepsy medication. Her car crashed into the car of Kirk Mercer of Ellicott City, who died from the injuries sustained in the crash.

This week, Bosley was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30 weekends in jail, 10 months of house arrest, and five years of probation. She will also not be able to drive a car during this time. No one before in Maryland has been convicted of manslaughter after a crash involving their epilepsy condition.

Bosley allegedly has a history of epilepsy-related car accidents. About 90 car accidents a year across the country are caused by epileptic seizures, while many more are caused by those having heart attacks.

In Maryland, the law states that you must be seizure-free for three months before driving if you have epilepsy, and that any medical updates be reported to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Association.