US News
Ted Kennedy\'s son blames car wreck on medicine, not alcohol
By DPA
May 5, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Washington - US Representative Patrick Kennedy, son of US Senator Ted Kennedy, said alcohol was not the reason why he crashed his car in a concrete barrier near Congress.

Kennedy, who wrecked his Mustang convertible early Thursday, blamed a mixture of prescription drugs for being disoriented and driving his car into the barrier.

But the Boston Herald reported Friday that a hostess in a nearby bar said the lawmaker had been \'drinking a little bit.\'

Kennedy said in a statement that he used a prescribed sleep medication and another drug. Early Thursday, Kennedy said he became \'disoriented\' and believed he had to go to the Capitol building for a vote. The accident occurred near his office building.

A police report indicated that Kennedy appeared to be intoxicated but no sobriety test was taken.