Man blacks out while driving on freeway

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Not sure if this posted before. Just saw this yesterday and thought it was scary and interesting at the same time. We all could learn from this.



The original caption from the 2015 video
Previously unknown medical condition caused a crash on 4/2/2015. (2021 update; I made an update about this video and you can watch it here: • Crash caught on dashcam; 6 years later , or keep reading.) I have never passed out in 26 years, but suddenly passed out. I wasn't tired, sleepy or anything like that. The last thing i remembered was turning off the cruise control, then I just passed out. I woke up a split-second before hitting that last fencepost, but was so disoriented that I didn't hit the brakes for another two seconds. When I went into the ditch, apparently my body pitched forward and my foot mashed the gas pedal to the floor. That's why the tach went to 5K and the car drifted so much. Afterwards, I had severe shock and disorientation. State Farm refused to pay for the car's repair, even though I was just a few hours past the deadline for comprehensive coverage. The vehicle was covered by my truck's policy, as I had not gotten the Mustang's title paperwork finished and couldn't insure it until then. State Farm has 14 days of "uninsured vehicle coverage" offered. They also raised my rates and removed my safe driver discount, even though I have never been in an accident that was my fault in 8 years of driving. So that seems a bit unfair. I just hope that I can pay my medical bills, pay the car off, then fix it/get it fixed. I didn't want to sell the rights, but it was the only option. I waited over a month before uploading the video. I also declined interviews, because I want to get over this. I have no wish for fame or fortune. The only reasons I uploaded this was to let my 13 subscribers know why I haven't uploaded recently and to show that horrible accidents can happen to anyone at any time. People seem hung up on the camera view, but my Duster has had the exact same perspective camera mount since July 2013. This video was not staged, as witness reports and Law Enforcement investigations can attest. The York Sheriff Dept. handled the investigation. And, as an update, my health is quite improved since then. Blood pressure adjusted to healthy levels, and no further symptoms. I had to wait a mandatory waiting period before I could drive again, and I passed it long ago and have not had any symptoms like this since. Apparently, once you get proper treatment for a medical condition like this you're good to go. I now drive just fine, but am much more cautious than I used to be. If I ever should feel the symptoms of passing out again, I'll simply stop the car and put it in park. Once you actually have passed out you can tell when it's going to happen. Thankfully, it appears I may never pass out again. And like my doctor said, this could happen to anyone else at anytime, so think about how you would feel if it happened to you.
 
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In the early 90s, my sister had a friend who worked 2nd shift. He was on his way home from work one evening and fell asleep at the wheel of his Buick Grand National. His foot apparently floored it when he fell asleep, because the telephone pole he hit broke in half, and the guy wasn't seriously injured.
 
A very good friend of mine lost his granddaughter to something like this. In this case the driver passed out and crossed the grass median to hit the girls car head on. The girl was killed instantly and the guy had some minor injuries. He had no memory of the actual accident.
 
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Something like this almost happened to me a few years ago with my wife and nephew in the car while driving on the interstate. I let out a really deep, chest-clearing cough, then immediately felt the lights starting to go out for about two seconds or so, then came back. It was not fun.
 
This is one of my greatest fears. I have never passed out or even came close to it in my life but now as I am getting older I can feel I am no longer the man I used to be.
 
A woman I used to call on for business had a husband that shot himself in am rush hour on the DC 495 beltway. The vehicle sort of drifted off to the side. Some minor collisions but nobody else was hurt. Crazy
 
The description talks about the York Sheriff Department, and the footage makes me think that's York County, Nebraska.

This could have ended so much differently if he had been in a part of the country with trees or waterways along the interstates.
 
A friend of mine just got hit head-on by a pickup on NH RT 16. The guy told the police he fell asleep. It was mid-afternoon. Hopefully they did some sobriety tests on the responsible driver.

He was driving a BMW SUV. He and his wife were uninjured, but no doubt the car is totaled.
 
In 2012, I blacked out during a coughing fit that triggered a vaso vagal incident. I was on a residential street, the van went right off the road into some saplings.
 
In May 2024, a low blood pressure incident caused me to black out on a country road. i was hypertensive and taking blood pressure medications. But then I lost 30 pounds and my meds were not adjusted. I went off the road and over a stone wall. I was totally unhurt. The airbag on my Lexus did not even go off. But EMS arrived and measured my BP as 60/40 and I almost fainted (again) on the way to the hospital.

My meds were adjusted, and my BP is now 125/70. I miss that 2019 Lexus RX350
 
Twice while driving in heavy traffic my glucose levels dropped dangerously low that the phone app linked to my sensor went off. I keep glucose tablets in both vehicles for times like these.
 
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