Townsville father loses license, forced to close business after seizure causes crash

Jack Palmer’s life was forever changed when he was diagnosed with a brain malformation, later causing a seizure which saw him lose his license and close his business.

Jack Palmer with partner Emily Nash and daughter Lola.

The family of a man living with epilepsy and a brain condition are calling for support after the father to a young daughter lost his license and was forced to close his business

In late 2024, Jack Palmer was driving to the chemist when he experienced a seizure, causing a car accident and leaving him without a drivers license.

“When you have a grand mal seizure, you’ve got no idea what’s going on and when you sort of become conscious, you can’t talk, you can’t do anything,” he said.

“I was driving in that state, and unfortunately I T-boned a guy.”

Mr Palmer was diagnosed with epilepsy as a result of arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, a condition which causes a tangle of blood vessels in the brain.

Jack Palmer with partner Emily Nash and daughter Lola.

“It’s basically bad plumbing in the brain, I’ve got veins that are too big and some that are too small,” he said.

“They pop every now and then, and they bleed, which is technically a stroke.

“I’ve had three of those that started in my early 20s, and the second one is when I got the really bad epilepsy.”

After losing his license, Mr Palmer was forced to close his lawn mowing and gardening business.

“There is about 5% of the business still open purely because I live next door to one of the jobs that I do, so I don’t have to drive there,” he said.

Another recent brain bleed has also resulted in Mr Palmer losing part of his vision.

“I’ve also lost eyesight to the right of both my eyes, my peripherals, so there’s a chance that may not come back,” he said.

“There’s a big possibility I may never be allowed to drive again.”

Mr Palmer’s family has since started a GoFundMe, hoping to help him manage his illness and keep him, his partner and daughter going.

“It’s really hard to get on top of anything really when your health keeps making you change jobs, making you take a long time off work and spend pretty much every dollar you’ve got just to survive,” he said.

Mr Palmer said it was hard to admit he needed help, and he encourages people to ask for help when they need it.

“As a man and a provider, it’s a really uncomfortable feeling to be asking for help,” he said.

“There’s always going to be situations, especially if health matters are involved, that people will need help.”

More than $12k has already been raised, and Mr Palmer said he can’t thank the community enough.

“I’m overwhelmed with the support that we’ve already gotten.”

Locals can donate to Mr Palmer’s GoFundMe here.

Originally published as Townsville father loses license, forced to close business after seizure causes crash