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SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City man who suffered a seizure while driving and crashed into a car, resulting in a woman's death, now faces manslaughter charges.
Prosecutors on Monday charged Gary Glen Siddoway, 29, in 3rd District Court with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, for being reckless and causing the death of Sarah Kunz on Feb. 3, 2013. He is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Thursday.
According to court documents, Siddoway was driving west on North Temple between 300 West and 400 West when he had a seizure. The truck continued to travel west on North Temple, where it hit a blue Nissan Versa that was stopped at a red light at 400 West, court documents state.
A reconstruction of the crash determined Siddoway was traveling between 53 mph and 61 mph just prior to crashing into the Nissan, charges state. The truck went through the intersection and collided with another car, then stopped, according to the charges. The driver and passenger of the second car were transported to the hospital.
Kunz, a passenger in the Nissan, died from her injuries the next day. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Siddoway had a history of seizures, and that was taken into account when the charges were filed.
"(Siddoway) recklessly caused the death of another," Gill said. "That recklessness, for us, comes from this history that was available to him. … (He) was certainly aware of it, and he ignored it."
Court documents indicate that Siddoway started having seizures in 2009, resulting in at least three car accidents. During the seizures, he would lose motor control and appear to be unresponsive for a minute at a time. He told investigators these "episodes" occurred anywhere from monthly to every four to six months, even while on medication.
(Siddoway) recklessly caused the death of another. That recklessness, for us, comes from this history that was available to him. (He) was certainly aware of it, and he ignored it.
–Sam Gill, Salt Lake County District Attorney
In February 2011, Siddoway suffered a seizure while driving his 2007 Ford F-150 in Coalville. He drove off the road and crashed into a fence. He left the scene before police arrived, according to court documents.
On April 22, 2011, he suffered a seizure at a restaurant that lasted about 10 minutes, charges state.
On May 4, 2011, Siddoway had a seizure while driving up Provo Canyon, prosecutors say. When he regained consciousness, he was tangled up in cables in the median. On May 22, 2011, Siddoway had a seizure while on medication and was incoherent for about 40 minutes.
On June 8, 2011, he told his doctor that the "smaller seizures (were) happening every several days." He also told the doctor he was doing well on his medication and was "not interested in further evaluation," court documents state.
Siddoway had more seizures in July, August and October 2011. On Nov. 4, 2011, he was told by his doctor not to drive until he had been seizure free for two to three months.
On Nov. 21, 2011, he submitted a form to the Utah Driver License Division claiming his last seizure was in July 2011, according to charging documents.
In January 2012, Siddoway had another seizure, then again in October 2012, charges state. He admitted to his physician that "he continues to experience ‘auras' without seizures once a month," charges state. His physician increased his medication.
Gill said the fatal accident was preventable.
"If you have physical impairments of physical health issue that impairs your ability to drive, it is really incumbent on you to not go ahead and do that," he said.
Contributing: Peter Samore
