U.S. Commerce Secretary blamed for two traffic accidents

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson suffered a seizure while driving his car in Los Angeles over the weekend, causing two separate traffic accidents just minutes apart, U.S. officials said Monday, June 11, according to AFP.

"Secretary Bryson was involved in a traffic accident in Los Angeles over the weekend. He suffered a seizure," Commerce Department spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman said in a statement. "He was taken to the hospital for examination and remained overnight for observation. He was released and has returned to Washington," Friedman said.

A statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Bryson's Lexus rear-ended another car Saturday as it waited at a railway crossing in the city of San Gabriel.

According to the statement, Bryson, 68, spoke with three males in the damaged car and then drove away, hitting their Buick again in the process. He then drove to the city of Rosemead, where he struck a second car, said officials, who said the secretary later was found "alone and unconscious behind the wheel of his vehicle."

Bryson was treated at the scene by paramedics, then transported to a local hospital where he received "treatment for non life-threatening injuries," the sheriff's department said.

News reports earlier Monday had said that Bryson was under investigation for the charge of hit-and-run, a felony in California if one leaves the scene of an accident.

Only minor injuries were sustained by the individuals in the cars struck by Bryson, officials said.

The Commerce Department, which said an investigation was underway, said Bryson had no public events scheduled for Monday.

A Commerce official who spoke on background said that at the time of the accidents Bryson was "on personal time with no security detail," since he was not on official business.

"He was driving his own vehicle. He was given medication to treat the seizure," the official said.

Bryson was confirmed as commerce secretary in October of last year, replacing Gary Locke who was named U.S. ambassador to China. Prior to taking up his post at the department, he was chairman, chief executive and president of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison.