Pubdate: Sat, 06 May 2006
Source: Peoria Journal Star (IL)
Copyright: 2006sPeoria Journal Star
Contact:  http://pjstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/338
Note: Does not publish letters from outside our circulation area.
Author:  Andrew Miga, The Associated Press

KENNEDY WILL ENTER REHAB

Congressman Says He Can't Recall Auto Accident

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Patrick Kennedy said Friday he was entering 
treatment for addiction to prescription pain medication, a decision 
made after a highly publicized car crash near the Capitol that the 
congressman said he cannot recall.

Kennedy, D-R.I., said he would seek immediate treatment at the Mayo 
Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

He announced his decision to reporters at a Capitol Hill news 
conference. He walked in alone, gripped the lectern, cleared his 
throat and began haltingly.

Kennedy, who has struggled with addiction and depression, said he had 
checked into the Mayo Clinic over the Christmas holidays and returned 
to Congress "reinvigorated and healthy."

"Of course, in every recovery, each day has its ups and downs, but I 
have been strong, focused and productive since my return," Kennedy said.

The congressman said he again became concerned about his condition 
after the Thursday morning car accident.

"I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by 
the police, or being cited for three driving infractions," Kennedy 
said. "That's not how I want to live my life. And that's not how I 
want to represent the people of Rhode Island."

As he was leaving the room, Kennedy was asked whether he might 
resign, and he shook his head no. "I need to stay in the fight," he 
said. He did not take other questions.

Kennedy - nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy - was elected 
to Congress in 1994.

The congressman's father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., issued a 
statement saying he was proud of his son for admitting his problem 
and taking steps to correct it.

"He has taken full responsibility for events that occurred ... and he 
will continue to cooperate fully with any investigation," the elder 
Kennedy said.

The younger Kennedy said he hoped that his "openness today and in the 
past, and my acknowledgment that I need help, will give others the 
courage to get help if they need it."

Kennedy was cited for three traffic violations after his early 
morning car crash Thursday near the Capitol, according to a police report.

The report by a U.S. Capitol Police officer said Kennedy drove his 
green 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a security barrier near the 
Capitol shortly before 3 a.m. Thursday, and that Kennedy had red, 
watery eyes, slurred speech and unsteady balance.

Kennedy had said in a statement Thursday that he had taken a sleeping 
pill and another drug that can cause drowsiness, but had not been 
drinking alcohol before the accident. "Apparently, I was disoriented 
from the medication," Kennedy said.

The police report described Kennedy as "ability impaired," and listed 
alcohol influence as a contributing circumstance in the crash.

Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal 
Order of Police, who was not on the scene, said the congressman had 
appeared intoxicated when he crashed his car. The officers involved 
in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of 
patrolman" to take Kennedy home and no sobriety tests were conducted 
at the scene, Cannon said.

"I never asked for any preferential treatment," Kennedy said to 
reporters as he left his congressional office Thursday night.

It was Kennedy's second auto crash in three weeks. His car struck the 
passenger rear door of a second car while Kennedy was making a left 
turn from a roadway into a CVS pharmacy, according to a police report 
on the April 15 accident. No injuries were reported in the accident 
in Portsmouth, R.I., and Kennedy was not cited.

In Washington, D.C., Kennedy, 38, told the police officer he was 
"headed to the Capitol to make a vote," the report said. He was cited 
for failure to keep in the proper lane, traveling at "unreasonable 
speed" and failing to "give full time and attention" to operating his vehicle.

At about 2:47 a.m., police observed Kennedy's car, with no headlights 
on, swerve into the wrong lane and strike a curb. Kennedy nearly hit 
a police car, the report said, and the officer in the cruiser was 
forced to use evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

The cruiser put on its emergency flashers and tried to pull Kennedy 
over, but the congressman did not respond. He continued at a slower 
speed before colliding head-on with a security barrier, according to 
the report.

Capitol Police had no comment Friday beyond a statement posted on 
their Web site, said spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider. That 
statement said, "The United States Capitol Police are continuing to 
investigate."

He said that he'd gone home Wednesday evening after work and taken 
"the prescribed amount" of Phenergan, a prescription anti-nausea drug 
that can cause drowsiness, and Ambien, a sleep medication. But he 
said he consumed no alcohol before the crash.

The attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan to 
treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and 
intestines. According to the drug's label, Phenergan can increase the 
effects of sleep medicines such as Ambien.

Ambien comes with a warning to patients that it can cause confusion, 
strange behavior and hallucinations. Also, it is to be taken only 
when patients have time for a full eight hours of sleep, allowing its 
effects to wear off, according to its Food and Drug 
Administration-approved label.

The congressman was treated at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he 
went to Providence College and has been praised in the past for his openness.

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of The Associated Press Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman