QUEENS, NY- The nypost.com reports that a driver in his mid-50’s who lost control of his vehicle and collided with a light pole was killed in the accident. The crash occurred in Queens at around 3:30 a.m. on Monday morning. The deceased was taking his 2013 Hyundai north on Woodhaven Boulevard when seemed to lose control […]
QUEENS, NY- The nypost.com reports that a driver in his mid-50’s who lost control of his vehicle and collided with a light pole was killed in the accident. The crash occurred in Queens at around 3:30 a.m. on Monday morning. The deceased was taking his 2013 Hyundai north on Woodhaven Boulevard when seemed to lose control of his vehicle.
According to the FDNY, the driver was brought to Elmhurst Hospital Center. He was declared dead at the hospital.
The cause of the accident is still unknown, but the police are trying to determine if the driver had experienced a medical related issue while driving, leading to the loss of control.
Medical emergencies behind the wheel account for only a small number of total accidents. The majority of accidents caused by medical emergencies only involve one car, and in most cases, the driver is the only person in the vehicle.
In cases where a medical emergency causes an accident that involves other individuals or vehicles, the driver might be able to avoid liability for the medical emergency defense. This defense applies to cases where the loss of control occurred right before the accident, the loss of control is what led to the accident, and the condition that caused the accident was an unpredictable medical emergency.
Examples of conditions that qualify for this defense include strokes, diabetic episodes, mental delusions, fainting, seizures, heart attacks, sudden blood pressure drops, and bad reactions to medications. However, if you had been warned not to drive on a medication or because of a condition, had previous similar health issues, or knew of the medical condition before the accident, you might not be successful in the use of the medical emergency defense. Additionally, you might not succeed in your defense if you lost consciousness because you failed to eat or drink before driving.
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