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This will be the final update on this issue. I’m not sure where to begin, so forgive me if I ramble.
I received a call today from the Captain of Internal Affairs at the South Bend Police Department. He was following up on my complaint. During our discussion, I recounted the facts and he asked me several questions regarding the driver’s behavior at the scene. He then clarified much of what took place that night.
The man that struck me was not drunk. He was not under the influence of any substance. As it turned out, he was having a stroke. He’s currently in the ICU at Memorial Hospital, and he may not survive.
That the man was having a stroke was not known to anyone at the scene, so I stand by my assertion that the officers did not perform their duties properly. I must, however, retract my assertion that they turned a blind eye to drunk driving. They may have turned a blind eye to what they thought was drunk driving, but they did not, in actuality, ignore a case of drunk driving.
In a certain sense, the officers’ refusal to administer a sobriety test in these circumstances is more egregious because it had a direct and potentially deleterious effect on someone who needed immediate medical attention. A breathalyzer would have revealed that the man was sober and that there was some other cause to his strange behavior. The officers could have called for an ambulance and the man would have received much needed medical attention more quickly than he ultimately did. Instead, warning signs were ignored and the man did not arrive at the hospital when he should have. At the very least, the officers should have examined the man’s health and state of mind, which were anything but normal.
As once could imagine, my anger has cooled considerably. Although I still feel that the officers carelessly ignored their duty, I cannot escape the fact that the man whose character I would have had maligned by the media now lies dying in a hospital bed. Furthermore, the captain with whom I spoke lacked even the slightest hint of dishonesty. He showed genuine concern for my concerns and mentioned that the approach taken by the officers merits a thorough review. He also stated that the officer who confronted me outside of the station was completely out of line and would be reprimanded appropriately. He provided me with every assurance that proper steps would be taken to prevent this type of “oversight” from happening again.
I also realize that much of my hostility was misplaced. So far as I can tell, corruption does not run deep within SBPD. The officers may have had it on their minds to disregard drunk driving, but it is clear that the Internal Affairs Department was appropriately notified to examine whether this was the case. I spoke with a genuinely concerned and honest captain this afternoon and, by and large, my confidence in SBPD has been restored.
I’m not pursuing this incident any further. While I could most assuredly still argue a dereliction of duty on the officers’ parts, I find it unnecessary given the assurances that I’ve been provided by the Captain of Internal Affairs. As I conclude this final update, I find myself strangely humbled. I find myself praying for the man who, only hours ago, I would have condemned for driving drunk and damaging my car. Truly, things are not always what they appear, which is why it is supremely important to comb over the facts with the finest toothed comb available. I apparently failed to do so.
I clearly jumped the gun on this one, and I apologize. I was inappropriately overzealous and too eager to blow the whistle before I had all the facts straight. I should have given the Police Department the benefit of the doubt before broadcasting this story to the world. I can only commend The Observer, The Tribune, and WNDU for holding off on all stories until every fact had been verified. All three organizations demonstrated impeccable discretion. Not only do I commend them, I must offer them my sincerest gratitude. I can only imagine the scandal such misinformed stories would have brought me. I would have essentially impugned the character of a dying man who, according to the Captain of Internal Affairs, was a well-respected and upstanding citizen.
In closing, I’d ask everyone to pray for the man who, in all likelihood, will not survive. He evidently had a large family, and I’m sure many would be affected by his passing.
Sorry dude but this sounds like too good a cover up to be true. You can't easily find out if it's true or not because thanks to HIPAA the hospital won't even tell you if he is there. I would have to see a medical report from his doctor and the hospital to believe it. If this were indeed the case why wasn't someone else driving. I call Bullshit on this excuse without proof.
Hope you read my comment about diabetics. I find it interesting that you are still able to find wrongdoing even as you could face a lawsuit (2nd year law students should know what for) by the REAL victim or his family.
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