Friday, May 16, 2008

Mark Benson and Ambien

Ambien is a medication for treating insomnia.

You take it to help you sleep. It's a horrible and ineffective drug; under no circumstances do you take it when you're going to be driving. That is the height of irresponsibility.

It sickens me to think that DOCTOR Mark Benson had a high amount of Ambien in his system when he killed Jennifer Bukosky, her daughter Courtney Bella, and her daughter Sophia.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Mark M. Benson was driving while impaired by a significant level of the sleep aid Ambien last month when his SUV slammed into a car and killed Jennifer Bukosky, her unborn child and her 10-year-old daughter, Courtney Bella, a prosecutor contended today.

A crime lab report submitted as evidence during Benson's preliminary hearing this morning showed he had Ambien; Xanax, which is used to treat anxiety; and oxycodone, a painkiller, in his system when his SUV slammed into Bukosky's car April 25 at a traffic signal in the northbound lane of Highway 67 at Pabst Road in Oconomowoc.

"We obviously think he was impaired.... The one in particular that we believe to be a high amount is the Ambien. They're all significant, but we believe that to be a very high result for the Ambien," Assistant District Attorney Kevin M. Osborne said after Benson's preliminary hearing.

...Benson, 55, of Summit had prescriptions for the medications.

...The crime lab report submitted in court today showed no evidence of alcohol in Benson's system. Benson's blood was drawn on the day of the accident and sent to the crime lab by Oconomowoc police for testing.

Benson was driving with Xanax, oxycodone, and high levels of Ambien in his system at 3:30 in the afternoon when he plowed into Jennifer Bukosky's car.

This doctor knows that he wasn't in any condition to drive.

Having prescriptions for medications doesn't mean that an individual is using the medications legitimately. Obviously, DOCTOR Benson was not.

The fact is he was a known threat, a repeat offender, and he was on the road.

Something has to be done to protect the public. Lawmakers must take action.

3 comments:

Jimi5150 said...

Not to mention that each of those medications warn against taking them . . . with each of the others! Let alone ALL at the same time.

I hate to say it, but it's too bad the mix didn't kill him first.

Mary said...

I know. It's not as if this DOCTOR didn't understand the potential danger.

It's true. If his cocktail had incapacitated him, the three innocent people he killed would be alive today.

Mary said...

Don't bother submitting the spam comments. They won't be published.

Ambien is terrible drug.

Don't use Ambien.