Oakland man has seizure, crashes car; then he was shot and robbed

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- A medical emergency behind the wheel turned into a bigger crisis in Oakland.

For Essence Washington and her husband, Andre Buchanan, the past week has one of the hardest of their lives.

"I've been crying. This is the first day I haven't cried at all," Washington said.

For the past two years, Buchanan has suffered from epilepsy.

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On March 20, he was driving to a store in Oakland when he had a seizure that caused him to crash into a parked car.

Still in a haze, Buchanan says he then drove down the street again before having another seizure and hitting a second car near 78th and Plymouth.

This one, with someone inside.

"Once I hit his vehicle, he flashed his gun at me," said Buchanan.

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Buchanan spoke with ABC7 Eyewitness News reporter Tim Johns on Wednesday from his hospital bed.

He said after the second crash, the other driver got out of his vehicle, robbed him and then shot him in the leg.

The thief took Buchanan's phone and wallet.

"That happened so quick, it kind of felt like a dream in a sense. When the police arrived, they said I was in and out of consciousness. I didn't know that. I just remember yelling for help," said Buchanan.

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Speaking outside the hospital, Washington said she first heard from a friend that her husband had been involved in a crash.

"It took me about three hours to even find out he was at the hospital. And once I arrived at the hospital, that's when I learned he was shot," she said.

Since Friday, Buchanan says he's had a blood transfusion and undergone surgery on his leg.

While he's expected to recover, the family knows it will be a difficult journey.

"Seeing him having to learn how to walk and doing the physical therapy and him not being able to put any weight on his legs at all for the next two months is very stressful," said Washington.

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The family says they're still in shock someone would shoot a man during a medical emergency.

But they're hoping the incident will help raise awareness for people suffering from seizures.

In the meantime, they say they're just taking things day-by-day.

"I've never had a seizure behind the wheel and I've been taking my medicine and stuff for my seizures so I thought, in a sense, they were kind of under control," said Buchanan.

Washington says the Oakland Police Department are in touch with the family and are actively investigating.

The family has also set up a GoFundMe to help with ongoing expenses.