DRIVING WHILE DROWSY

One July afternoon in 1999, while driving an almost new, heavy-duty, ¾-ton pickup down a four-lane highway, I blacked out and ran into an 18-wheeler that was stopped at an intersection. My truck was pulling around 18,000 pounds of construction equipment (I work for a supplier), and the wreckage it created by slamming into the tail end of a fully loaded grain transporter was a pile of twisted steel.

“The emergency crews worked for 90 minutes, in temperatures well over 100 degrees, to remove me from what remained of the truck. Miraculously, I escaped with just a broken arm and some cracked ribs. Everyone was amazed that I was out of the hospital in three days.

“Early one morning three months later, I blacked out again on the same highway. This time, I was going about 60 when I rear-ended a farmer who was slowly pulling his harvest uphill. Again, there were no serious injuries, but I totaled a second new truck. My company almost lost its insurance.

“My questions turned from ‘How did this happen?’ to ‘What’s causing me to black out?’ At 46 years of age, I was 6 feet tall, 185 pounds, and in relatively good physical shape. I hadn’t been drinking, and I had an otherwise good driving record.

“Medical tests revealed that I had a heart condition, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy, a condition that can trigger sleep at any time. I was equipped with a pacemaker and a C-PAP, a device that regulates airflow and prevents sleep apnea. I also began to take a medication for ‘excessive daytime sleepiness.’

“In the meantime, my company’s insurance carrier forbade me from doing any driving for company-related purposes. I used to drive about 50,000 miles a year for my job, but for almost 12 months, my wife had to drive me to work, and my co-workers had to drive me to all work-related activities. Imagine functioning as a remodeler if your driving privileges were pulled!

“Today I’m healthy and driving again. But I learned the hard way that some health problems are less obvious than others, and that many of them, if left untreated, will take their toll. Looking back, my only real symptoms were being a little tired and having a tendency to snore, a fact that my wife often noted. Now I know that even drowsiness alone is a risk factor. When you’re fatigued, your reaction time is slower.

“I consider myself fortunate to have survived not one, but two horrific accidents. As with many who make it through near-death experiences, I think I might be alive for a reason. I believe that lives will be saved if I can help others be aware of their own health risks and consult with the appropriate medical specialists.”

The U.S. had 1,329 fatal work-related highway incidents in 2006 (Dept. of Labor). People with untreated medical disorders have up to seven times the risk of falling asleep at the wheel (National Sleep Foundation).