Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

State Can’t Take Helm’s License Despite Fainting

Item: State can't take Helm's license despite fainting/Karen Dorn Steele, Spokesman-Review

More Info: The Washington Department of Licensing says it’s powerless to revoke Clifford Helm’s driver’s license even though he claims to suffer from a medical condition that causes him to faint. The condition, known as “cough syncope,” figured prominently in Helm’s acquittal last week on vehicular homicide charges stemming from a 2005 crash that killed five children north of Spokane. But state officials say Helm, who doctors testified can faint while behind the wheel of a car during serious coughing fits, still has a valid driver’s license and can keep driving legally unless they are notified by a police officer or medical professional that he’s a danger to others.

Question: What's wrong with this picture?



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.