A "medical issue" experienced by the male driver is believed to be what caused a Toyota car to back into and over thousands of dollars worth of city and private property on South Court Square in Charleston early Tuesday, Police Chief Kirby Griffin has told The Sun-Sentinel.
Griffin on Thursday had called the destruction an "accident" and said the investigation into the matter was closed, but not until early Friday afternoon did he reveal a possible medical reason for the crash.
The chief said an the driver apparently suffered an epileptic seizure while backing out of a parking space on South Court Square shortly before 7:45 a.m. on July 14, causing the car to travel in reverse while the seizure incapacitated the driver, whose name was not released.
"I didn't know about the medical issue until some of his parents or somebody told me," Griffin said.
The chief said there have been no discussions between the city and the driver's automotive insurance carrier regarding the destruction of public property that occurred during the incident but added, "We're getting there. There will [be]."
Below, see the original headline and story featuring details of the damage:
Details of reverse driving destruction held under wraps by police
Charleston police have been mum concerning the details of an automobile crash early Tuesday that destroyed city and private property likely valued at more than $2,000.
The incident occurred along a section of South Court Square moments before 7:45 a.m. July 14 when a white Toyota car traveling in reverse — opposite of the regular flow of traffic — jumped the curb of the sidewalk in front of Bank of Commerce; flattened a metal flagpole; bowled over a large courtyard-style steel planter, dispersing potting soil and flowers over a wide area; and shattered a 10-foot-tall sprawling city lamppost and it's elevated brick base before backing onto yet another city sidewalk, mangling a steel city bench there and crashing into brickwork on the front of a vacant office building.
Surveillance video from the bank reportedly captured the incident and was requested and turned over to the Charleston Police Department.
The male driver of the automobile was attended to by pedestrians from a nearby business who heard the incident, but it is not known whether he sustained injuries.
One person who spoke on condition of anonymity said the car appeared to be backing up at a high rate of speed, saying it was "a miracle" that there were no other vehicles on the street or pedestrians along the sidewalk during what can sometimes be a busy time of morning in that area.
The bank does not open until 9 a.m., but several other nearby businesses were open and had customers inside.
The vacant building hit by the car had two office spaces, both long since abandoned. One last served an attorney and the other, the former Charleston Utilities. The building is adjoined on the north side by a now shuttered Womble Funeral Home office and on the south side by a laundromat.
Although the driver's identity has not been confirmed, the person believed to have been the driver is known to have a medical history of seizures, another person noted.
Charleston Police Chief Kirby Griffin on Tuesday afternoon referred all questions about the incident to police Investigator Travis Nichols, whom he said was handling the case.
The Sun-Sentinel attempted to call Nichols Tuesday and sent a text message seeking information. As of Thursday evening, Nichols had not responded.
On Thursday, The Sun-Sentinel again reached out to Griffin, this time through a text conversation. Once more, the chief said, “Travis got that case.”
When asked by The Sun-Sentinel whether the case remains open and under investigation, Griffin texted back, “…It’s nothing under investigation it was a accident.”
