COLLIER COUNTY, FL- According to NBC-2.com, a man died in a crash on Interstate 75 on Monday, November 5, 2018. The collision involved just one vehicle. The driver, 53-year-old David Sabatelli, was operating a van when he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a guardrail.
Reports indicate that the victim may have suffered from a medical emergency while behind the wheel.
Emergency responders attempted CPR on Sabatelli and transported him to the hospital. Sabatelli was declared dead at the scene.
Driving requires that we put out focus on the road. The prospect of suffering a medical emergency while operating a vehicle is frightening. However, it is important to note that these types of crashes are statistically uncommon. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that only around 1.3 percent of drivers involved in crashes had experienced a medical emergency.
Out of all drivers who were involved in collisions that were the result of medical emergencies, about 84 percent had experienced seizures, diabetic reactions or blackouts. About 62 percent of these collisions were single-vehicle crashes, and in 85 percent of the collisions, the driver was the only person in the vehicle at the time when they suffered the medical emergency.
According to studies, the best way to prevent these types of accidents is to educate patients about the early symptoms of some of these more common medical ailments. By teaching people the early signs of a stroke, heart attack, or seizures, physicians can give people the information they need in order to determine that they should not be driving before they get behind the wheel and find themselves in an emergency medical situation that leads to a serious car accident.
Additionally, some vehicle technology, such as systems that alert drowsy drivers, or that alert a driver when they leave their lane, could be used to help catch early signs that something is wrong and urge a driver to pull over.
