Low-Profile Wisconsin News

A key swing state, Wisconsin is often in the news during election years. Milwaukee also hosted the Republican convention, making it even more newsworthy. This month’s blogpost highlights some under-the-radar Wisconsin news that emphasizes the need for increased epilepsy supports in suburban and rural areas, which can be difficult to access without a car.

On June 26^th, 49-year-old Jade Moen had a seizure while driving near a construction site in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. When he lost awareness, his pickup truck collided with a vehicle, killing its driver, and struck two road workers, one of whom later died.

Mr. Moen was forced to surrender his driver’s license in 2021, due to previous car accidents he’d had due to his epilepsy. Given that Mr. Moen was driving illegally, the Wisconsin prosecutor asked for a $1 million bail for Mr. Moen, a much larger sum than the $25,000 bail requested by Mr. Moen’s attorney. On June 27^th, Court Commissioner David Herring held up a long list of Mr. Moen’s past crashes in the courtroom before ordering one-million-dollar bail. “Mr. Moen had no business behind the wheel of a vehicle. He just didn’t. Zero,” he said. Mr. Moen’s hearing is scheduled for July 29^th.

This is a story comprised of heart-breaking details: An elderly woman killed in her car. A 46-year-old construction worker, the father of three, killed on the job, his colleague seriously injured. Mr. Moen is currently jailed.  Where he knew he shouldn’t have been driving but did so anyway, prosecutors are treating his vehicle as a weapon. He’s facing two counts of first-degree reckless homicide, one count of first-degree reckless injury, two counts of knowingly operating a vehicle without a valid license and causing death, one count of knowingly operating a vehicle without a valid license and causing great bodily harm, and one count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. According to Mr. Moen’s attorney, Jonathan LaVoy, Jade Moen feels horrible about the accident. Mr. LaVoy also noted that a lot of work will go into Mr. Moen’s legal representation, “balancing his rights against the serious charges that have been filed.” Mr. LaVoy must investigate the accident’s details and Mr. Moen’s medical history. He predicts it will be a complicated case that “will take a while to work through the system.”

Four days after Mr. Moen’s tragic accident, a local nonprofit,  Epilepsy Families Southeast Wisconsin sponsored the 2024 Brainstorm Walk/Run for Epilepsy Awareness at Veterans Park (fox6now.com). The fundraising event was a competitive 5K race, held in Milwaukee, 20 miles from Mr. Moen’s fatal car crash. About 45 people participated, raising roughly $1,700. At least as important, the event received local coverage with three television stories and two online articles highlighting details and emphasizing the importance of raising epilepsy awareness. The organization’s efforts are laudable and noteworthy in a society where epilepsy is so misunderstood. That Mr. Moen’s tragic accident occurred so close in time and proximity to this event is ironic.

I looked at Epilepsy Families Southeast Wisconsin’s website. They’re based in Milwaukee, only 25 miles from Mr. Moen’s hometown, Menomonee Falls. But their mission is primarily focused on providing services and support to children with epilepsy and their caregivers. The website doesn’t include many resources for adults with epilepsy, like Mr. Moen. Epilepsy Foundation’s Wisconsin’s target population clearly includes all people with epilepsy, and they have three sites in Wisconsin. Sadly, the closest one to Menomonee Falls is 79 miles away.

By profession, Jade Moen is a self-employed design consultant who offers clients interior design service. When he got in the car accident, he was on his way to pick up construction materials, likely for a job. According to his wife, he’d been somewhat stable on medication, but was still prone to breakthrough seizures, which is what happened on June 26^th. Apparently, Mr. Moen typically relied on his wife or Uber to get around, but on that day, he drove himself.  

Court Commissioner David Herring was 100% correct when he said Mr. Moen had no business being behind the wheel. As somebody who managed uncontrollable seizures for decades, I never even considered getting a driver’s license until I got the seizures under control through brain surgeries (a journey I describe in my book, Seizing Control).  And although I’ve been seizure-free for over eight years, I still carry the doctor’s letter verifying the date of my last seizure in my purse, as protection: In the unlikely but horrifying event that a breakthrough seizure occurs while I’m driving, I couldn’t be charged with crimes, as Mr. Moen was.

Mr. Moen’s hearing is in nine days. By then the Republican convention will be old news, J.D. Vance will be a household name, and the investigation of Trump’s attempted assassin will be behind us. The media will be focused on the next chapter of this divisive election season. Mr. Moen will likely get a substantial sentence. Given the tragic details of this story, it would be appropriate to expand epilepsy support services throughout Wisconsin. Sadly, that outcome is far less likely. The limited funding available for epilepsy nonprofits isn’t enough to open enough site offices to cover the state of Wisconsin.  

Mr. Moen clearly made a poor irresponsible choice that day. But before condemning him harshly, it’s important to examine the bigger picture. The closest epilepsy support organization for adults is almost an hour and a half away. He lives in a mid-sized town with no public transit, 25 miles from the nearest metropolitan area, leaving him dependent on others to get places. As someone who couldn’t get a driver’s license until I was 50, I can’t imagine living in a town like Menomonee Falls. But there are only eight cities with excellent public transportation, so a lot of people with epilepsy do. I was lucky I could establish a life and career in one of those cities. Had Epilepsy Foundation had a site closer to Menomonee Falls, would Mr. Moen have found the resources or support necessary to keep him out of his vehicle? We’ll never know.