WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES: Louie Watkins, who lives with epilepsy, said of the attack: “”I am on the floor in a ball, trying to cover myself after he starts punching me in the face”
A disabled driver has revealed the horror moment he claimed to have been dragged out of his car and beaten by an angry motorist just moments after he suffered a seizure at the wheel, causing him to crash.
Louie Watkins, who lives with epilepsy, had been driving along to Gravesend, in Kent, when he lost control and started swerving across the road. Seconds later, the 23-year-old clipped another vehicle before crashing into a tree.
His car was written off, but his nightmare had just begun when he was pulled out from the car and allegedly attacked. Louie, a trainee engineer, claimed to have been punched and kicked as he lay in a curled up position on the ground as he desperately attempting to explain he had just suffered a seizure.
Images show the horrendous injuries he suffered. When Louie came round a second time, he found emergency services had arrived at the scene.
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He was rushed to hospital with numerous injuries, including a black eye. Louie is registered disabled and passed his driving test last year after going a full year without seizures, as required by law.
He said: “I was driving along New Barn Road after I had left my girlfriend’s house at about 8.45am yesterday. I suffer from epilepsy, and I felt like a seizure was coming on. It was very scary, and I believe I was swerving across the road.
“I spaced out, and I did not know what I was doing. The next thing I know, I woke up to my car being in a bad crash with a tree.”
Louie claimed his car clipped another vehicle before the crash, but he believed no one in the car was injured. He recalled seeing a man in a blind rage, attempting to force himself into the vehicle.
“As I looked to my right, I saw a man beating on the window, trying to pull open the door,” he said. “I am holding onto the gearstick and the door to try to stop him from getting in while he is yelling repeatedly: ‘Open the f****** door.’
“I tried to phone my dad but the man manages to open my driver’s side door and pulls me out, while the gearstick on my car is pulled from the box. I am still not quite with it, but I am explaining that I need help as I am coming out of a seizure.
“I am on the floor in a ball, trying to cover myself after he starts punching me in the face and booting me in the ribs. He also tried taking the phone away while I was making a call.”
Louie was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital, where he spent around six hours being treated in a trauma ward. “I had a CT scan as they thought I had internal bleeding, but it came back clear,” he said.
“They told me to take time off work for about two weeks and to go home and rest.” Louie’s last seizure was about 18 months ago and the DVLA is aware of his condition. Epilepsy is a neurological condition that causes seizures, where sudden bursts of brain activity can make someone lose awareness or control.
A Kent Police spokesman said: “Officers were called to New Barn Road near Northfleet at 8.52am on Saturday, February 7. Officers attended and closed the road while they investigated the circumstances.
“A 47-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm. He has been released on conditional bail pending further inquiries.”
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or might have relevant dashcam footage is urged to call police on 01474 366149, quoting 46/21052/26. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
