Opinion ID: 171456
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: .Brad Kellogg's fatal accident

Text: On September 6, 2004, Brad Kellogg was driving a 1993 Dodge Caravan eastbound on East Alexander Avenue in Merced, California. He purportedly stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of East Alexander Avenue and Parsons Avenue, and then continued eastbound on East Alexander Avenue. As he proceeded eastbound, his minivan veered into the westbound lane, and then into a tree on the north side of East Alexander Avenue. A female resident who observed the crash called 911. Law enforcement and fire officials responded to the scene and found Brad Kellogg hunched over in the driver's seat of the minivan, incoherent and bleeding from his face. App. at 170. After being extracted from his vehicle, Brad Kellogg was transported to a local hospital, where he died. The woman who observed the crash and called 911 was questioned by a law enforcement officer and stated that she had seen the vehicle with the subject in it make the stop eastbound on E. Alexander at Parsons. [She] said that once the vehicle had taken off from the stop sign at Parsons, that she noticed that the driver appeared to be having a seizure. [She] said that the vehicle then veered into the tree on the northside of E. Alexander. [She] said that she noticed the subject did not even step on his brakes, as she did not see the brake lights, nor did she hear a skid. Id. On September 10, 2004, the Merced County (California) Sheriff's Department received a toxicology report that indicated that Brad Kellogg, at the time of his death, had detectable levels of five prescription and/or over-the-counter drugs in his system: acetaminophen (2.2mg/L), buproprion (2.29 mg/L), hydrocodone (0.23 mg/L), propoxyphene (0.08 mg/L), and norpropoxyphene (0.12mg/L). On September 13, 2004, an autopsy report was prepared by a private pathologist for the Merced County Sheriff's Department Coroner's Division. The report's CASE SUMMARY section read as follows: The cause of death in this case is considered to be extensive subarachnoid hemorrhage of the brain secondary to traumatic transverse basilar skull fracture. Post mortem toxicology studies revealed effective levels of acetaminophen, hydrocodone, propoxyphene, and Norpropoxyphene. Levels of Bupropion far exceed therapeutic levels in this patient. Idiosyncratic reactions of this drug include: numerous neuropsychiatric phenomenon including psychoses, confusion, delusion, hallucinations, psychotic episodes, and paranoia. Whether excessive levels of this drug contributed to this subject's accidental and [sic] death is unknown. Id. at 190. On January 20, 2005, the Deputy Coroner for Merced County signed a Physician/Coroner's Amendment. Id. at 85. That document indicated that Brad Kellogg suffered a SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE and a BASILAR SKULL FRACTURE from a SOLO MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT. Id. The document further stated as follows: THE DECEDENT WAS THE SAFETY BELT RESTRAINED DRIVER AND SOLE OCCUPANT OF A DODGE CARAVAN THAT HE WAS DRIVING EASTBOUND ON ALEXANDER AVENUE. THE DECEDENT COMPLETED A STOP AT THE POSTED STOP SIGN AT THE INTERSECTION OF PARSONS AVENUE. HE THEN AGAIN PROCEEDED EASTBOUND AND AT THAT POINT, ACCORDING TO A WITNESS HE APPEARED TO HAVE A SEIZURE, LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND RAN HEADON [sic] INTO A TREE LOCATED NEXT TO THE CURB OF THE WESTBOUND LANE OF ALEXANDER. THE DECEDENT HAD A POST MORTEM BLOOD BUPROPION LEVEL OF 2.29 MG/L. THIS DRUG HAS A REPORTED RISK FACTOR OF SEIZURES. Id.