Posted on 01/15/2002 4:30:08 AM PST by GailA
Seizure may have led to scientist's fall
Medical examiner rules out suicide in Wiley's bridge death
By Thomas Jordan jordan@gomemphis.com
An eminent Harvard scientist might have been disoriented from a seizure when he accidentally fell to his death from the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, the county medical examiner said Monday.
Dr. O. C. Smith said Don C. Wiley had a history of seizures - two or three major episodes a year - that was not known outside his family and a small circle of friends. Smith said there is no way to know exactly what happened on the bridge the morning of Nov. 16. But he outlined a scenario in which a disoriented Wiley had a couple of minor accidents on the bridge.
Stopping to inspect the damage to his rental car, Wiley could have fallen into the river as a result of the seizure, the shaking and bucking of the six-lane bridge, or even a blast of wind from a fast-moving tractor-trailer, Smith said.
The medical examiner said he ruled out suicide because Wiley had demonstrated no suicidal tendencies. He also said there was physical evidence that the research scientist's plunge into the river was not consistent with someone who purposely jumped.
Wiley's car was found abandoned in a westbound lane of the bridge at 4 a.m. Nov. 16. The key was in the ignition and the gas tank full.
The disappearance of Wiley, a prize-winning biochemist, stirred international interest. He had done research on dangerous viruses, including Ebola, and that led to speculation in some news media that Wiley might have been abducted by bioterrorists.
His body was found Dec. 20 in the Mississippi River 300 miles south of Memphis.
Smith said there was minor impact damage at the front of Wiley's car on both sides. The hubcap for the right front wheel also was missing and has not been found.
Yellow paint scrapes found on the 2001 white Mitsubishi are similar to the paint on bridge construction signs.
"From this it may be concluded that Dr. Wiley had two mishaps with his vehicle, perhaps indicating the reason why he was stopped on the bridge," Smith said. "The two mishaps may also be an indicator of some physical impairment."
Smith said Wiley, 57, had suffered from "an infrequent and poorly understood seizure disorder" for years. He said Wiley kept the condition private and wasn't being treated for it.
"It was prone to occur when he was stressed, fatigued or had taken alcohol," Smith said. "It would be manifested by episodes of agitation, which he tried to control by himself."
Wiley was in Memphis to attend a two-day meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He was last seen in the lobby of The Peabody, where he had attended a banquet for the board, about four hours before he disappeared.
Smith said it will never be known if the seizures, lack of sleep, fatigue or the effects of alcohol contributed to what happened on the bridge.
Toxicology studies weren't complete, but "alcohol has been identified at levels suggesting impairment," Smith said at a press conference at the Police Department.
However, just how much Wiley had been drinking will never be clear, Smith said, because alcohol levels tend to rise after death because of fermentation and diffusion.
Based on the police investigation and the injuries to Wiley's body there was no indication he was slain, Smith said. That left the question of whether Wiley took his life or died accidentally.
Smith said an extensive review of Wiley's medical records and his behavior "are totally devoid of any prior suicide thoughts or action."
Other than the seizure disorder, Smith said, there are "no identifiable life stressors or crises out of the norm in Dr. Wiley's life."
Further, Smith said his office's experience with suicides from the Hernando DeSoto indicate that people jumping generally do so with enough force to clear a box beam that projects 38 inches along the length of the bridge 12d feet below the top guardrail.
It's likely Wiley hit the beam, cracking the third button of his shirt before entering the water, Smith said.
"This subtle physical finding combined with the absolute lack of suicidal indicators is conclusive," Smith said. "The possibility of Dr. Wiley's death having been a suicide was carefully considered and rejected."
Wiley entered the Mississippi River by going over a guardrail that is 43b inches above the roadbed. At the foot of the guardrail is a 10-inch-high curb. Smith said if the 6-foot-3 Wiley were standing on the curb trying to assess the damage to his car, the guardrail would have come to his mid-thigh, "14 inches below his center of gravity."
"Instability for any reason could precipitate a fall," he said.
Wiley fell 135 feet into the 55-degree Mississippi. Smith said Wiley hit the surface on his right side at about 60 mph after a fall of less than three seconds.
Wiley didn't drown; he was killed by the fall. Smith said he suffered several fractures, including ones to the neck and spine. His chest was crushed.
Police don't know why Wiley was on the bridge headed toward West Memphis. And they don't know his whereabouts during the four hours he was last seen and his car was found.
The scientist's father, Bill Wiley of Memphis, said his son stayed with him for several days while he was here. - Thomas Jordan: 529-5880
Stay tuned for next week, when the good doctor was actually targeted by renegade Quakers with a silkworm missle.
If he'd reported any seizures, they'd pull his driver's license. My brother-in-law couldn't drive until he was seizure-free for 30 days after the first seizure, 90 days after the second.
You'd be amazed at how many people with major medical problems are behind the wheel.
What the heck does 12d and 43b mean?
Has it been verified there were construction signs on the bridge that night? Did the medical examiner release this information via the press conference he promised, or was it found out through phone calls?
As someone else mentioned, why would a guy afraid of heights and with a history of seizures get out of a car on a bridge? Why would he care if there was damage; it was a rented car.
These other stories also stae 2 lanes of traffic were closed due to construction, and investigators believe he was probably confused by the large amount of construction in the area and took a wrong turn on the highway...
Thanks for the interesting article. It does raise some questions. Why isn't this "seizure disorder" (which sounds, bogusly, like a quirky 19th century made-up disease name like conniption fits) called "epilepsy"? Perceived social stigma? I'm by no means a medical expert, but I thought epilepsy was so treatable that people with it could lead unrestricted lives, so this guy wouldn't have had to surrender his driver's license (which may have motivated the secrecy, risking the lives of everyone he shared the road with) if he'd fessed up and gotten treatment. Or are there other kinds of "seizure disorders"? There can also be a number of possible causes of seizures, including brain trauma and concussion, brain tumors, and strokes. They aren't usually called "seizure disorders".
And seizures came on when he got tired. That's scary, knowing he habitually drove long distances. How many more are out there. This guy was kind of a terrorist himself, if this story is true.
Maybe it was a seizure. Maybe someone seized his ancles and applied a brisk lift. You gotta learn to parse these things, you know :).
Why would the fact he was afraid of heights made public knowledge right off the bat, but they keep the secret of 'seizure disorders' until now?
If true, this man had no dang business driving. Of course, when a deaf woman slammed into the back of our truck, I thought the same thing about her....
It's just funny that until now, we heard nary a snippet about this man having blackouts. Guess he could have eaten a pretzel.
Or maybe Billie Joe McAllister was throwing something else off a bridge?
I'm not a tin foil hatter, but it's amusing to chronicle an event like this. . And by the way, did anyone ever say why he was going to (or coming back from) West Memphis?
Uh, because it was there?
I don't know, but if we wait a while this, too, will be "explained."
Probably 12' and 43". I would guess that these were originally single-quotes and double-quotes in an extended character set, as abbreviations for feet and inches. These symbols aren't portable, so they were changed to words during editing, but somebody forgot to delete the symbols, and they got changed at some point (lost their high bit in a file transfer or some such thing).
1. Typos and lousy content courtesy of the Boston Globe, not me.
2. Wasn't Memphis his home town? You'd think he'd know which way to go to get to dad's. And most dads would have jumped (sorry) at the chance to give him detours and/or alerted him to the construction going on.
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