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Truth of what really happened at Chappaquiddick dies with Senator Ted Kennedy
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Senator Edward Kennedy -Official Senate Photo
The truth of what really happened on July 18, 1969, on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts will never be known. What is known is that at the end of the evening, Mary Jo Kopechne was found dead in a car that Edward (Ted) Kennedy had been driving. Was her death the result of a tragic accident or due to gross negligence on the part of Ted Kennedy?
Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne attended the same party on the evening of July 18, 1969. Kennedy left the party with Kopechne as a passenger in his car and accidentally drove off the road and into a tidal channel on Chappaquiddick Island. As reported in the Boston Globe, Kennedy was able to escape the submerged car and swim to safety. Kopechne was not and her body was later found in the car. Kennedy contacted multiple aids right after the accident, but did not notify authorities until the following morning. In fact, by the time Kennedy contacted local police, Kopechne's body had already been found.
In countless interviews following the incident, Kennedy claimed that he made a wrong turn which resulted in driving over the edge of the narrow bridge. The area is dark and roads are unmarked, making his story believable. What creates doubt as to his honesty are his actions following the accident. FBI files show that Kennedy went back to the party to ask his friends for help. After failing to rescue Kopechne from the submerged car, the men left the scene of the accident, still having not reported it to authorities.
Did Kennedy fail to report the incident right away because he was distraught to have caused a fatal accident? Or did he not go to authorities because he did not want to reveal that he had been driving drunk. By the time Kennedy was in contact with police, over 10 hours had passed. Long enough that, even if Kennedy been drunk at the time of the accident, he had long since sobered up.
Senator Kennedy paid a high price after the accident. Some speculate it cost him his presidency bid, although he did keep his Massachusetts Senate seat. Not having survived the accident, Kopechne paid the ultimate price.
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