SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — An Orange County jury says the doctor of an 85-year-old dementia patient was in no way responsible for a deadly car crash the patient caused.
The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/OTvt0t ) the jury found Thursday that Dr. Arthur Daigneault didn't violate the standard of care when he deemed Lorraine Sullivan fit to drive.
In 2010, Sullivan steered her car into oncoming traffic, killing her longtime boyfriend William Powers, who was in the front passenger seat.
Powers' family sued Daigneault claiming wrongful death, saying he had been treating Sullivan for dementia for two years.
Daigneault's lawyer argued there was no evidence Sullivan's dementia contributed to the accident, or that her license would have been revoked following the doctor's report.
California doctors must notify authorities if a patient has "lapses of consciousness."
