A bottle of a drug used to treat anxiety and depression was found in the car of Sandra Maul, arrested after her vehicle swerved off a Denver street two weeks ago and killed two teens walking along a sidewalk, according to court documents.
The drug, Lorazepam, can cause excessive sedation even at standard doses, according to various drug-information websites.
People who take the medication are warned against engaging in hazardous activities requiring mental alertness and motor coordination, such as driving motor vehicles.
Authorities have been investigating whether medications played a role in the fatal crash.
A preliminary toxicology study on Maul, 64, revealed three prescription drugs in her system shortly after the accident: a generic form of Prozac, an anti-depressant; a muscle relaxant; and a powerful painkiller.
No traces of Lorazepam or another drug – Ambien, a sleeping aid that Maul told investigators she may or may not have taken the day of the accident – were found in Maul’s system in the preliminary screening.
Authorities warn that those taking Ambien, also known as Zolpidem, should use caution when driving or performing hazardous activities. It can cause drowsiness and may cause dizziness.
Maul was arrested Nov. 17 after she lost control of her car and it hit Jesse Aguirre and Nhan Nguyen, both 14, as they walked on a sidewalk along South Federal Boulevard, police said. She was hospitalized with a possible broken ankle and cuts to her face.
The three drugs found in Maul’s system by a preliminary test by the Colorado State Department of Health were Meprobamate, a muscle relaxant most commonly used for back pain; Fluoxetine, a generic form of Prozac; and Tramadol, a powerful pain killer.
A department of health official told police that the combination of medications would likely impair a driver’s ability to operate a motor vehicle safely.
But Dr. Daniel Teitelbaum disagreed with that statement, saying that it was improbable that the combined drugs would have affected Maul’s driving ability unless she had been taking the medications only for a short time or the doses were particularly high.
Teitelbaum today declined to speculate whether Lorazepam and Ambien, combined with the other three, would have affected Maul’s ability to drive because the tests didn’t show them in her system.
No charges have been filed against Maul. Prosecutors have asked police to conduct further investigation.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
