Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
International

Indian-Origin Doctor, 33, Dies After He Falls Asleep Behind Wheel In UK

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Jul, 2016 01:18 PM
    An Indian-origin doctor who died in a car crash after working three long night shifts is believed to have fallen asleep behind the wheel just a couple of kilometres away from home, a British court has heard.
     
    Ronak Patel, 33, a trainee anaesthetist from Ixworth village, Suffolk county, had been singing on the phone to his wife to help keep him awake, an inquest heard this week.
     
    He had been working three long night shifts when his car hit a lorry in August last year, his inquest heard this week.
     
    Dr Patel is believed to have fallen asleep on the highway at Honington in Suffolk, about five kilometres from his home.
     
    "The most plausible explanation for the collision was that Dr Patel fell asleep," local police accident investigator Mark Webb told the hearing.
     
    The doctor was declared dead at the scene after he sustained a broken neck and other injuries.
     
    Yvonne Blake, Suffolk assistant coroner, concluded that he died as a result of his car being involved in a collision with a heavy goods vehicle, The Times reported.
     
    Dr Patel's wife Helen had earlier told police that he had been keen to get back home and they had been singing to each other over his hands-free phone to keep him awake.
     
    But he was cut off while driving home from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and she tried to call him back 14 times without getting any reply before getting into her car to find him.
     
    The inquest at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk heard that she was met by police on the way, who told her that there had been an accident.
     
    "He was a highly regarded and capable doctor and was extremely popular within the department," a spokesperson from Dr Patel's workplace said.
     
    His mother Mina Patel said her son "was an inspiration to everyone he met".
     
    Recent research in the UK has indicated that the medical professions have the worst road accident rates.
     
    Local GPs have the highest rate, with 13 per cent having made an "at-fault" claim in the past three years, compared with the 6 per cent average for British workers.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Body Of Canadian Hiker Found On Mount Washington

    Body Of Canadian Hiker Found On Mount Washington
    Lt. Wayne Saunders says hikers found the body of 47-year-old Francois Carrier of Drummondville, Quebec, off the Tuckerman Ravine trail on Mount Washington Saturday.

    Body Of Canadian Hiker Found On Mount Washington

    Innocent Verdict For Canadian Held In U.A.E., But Man Remains In Custody: Family

    Innocent Verdict For Canadian Held In U.A.E., But Man Remains In Custody: Family
    Salim Alaradi had been accused of allegedly providing supplies to groups in a foreign country without permission of the U.A.E. government and collecting donations without the government's permission.

    Innocent Verdict For Canadian Held In U.A.E., But Man Remains In Custody: Family

    Verdict Expected For Canadian In U.A.E. In What Family Calls Unjust Case

    Verdict Expected For Canadian In U.A.E. In What Family Calls Unjust Case
    Salim Alaradi had originally been on trial for terrorism charges which were abruptly dropped in March and replaced with two lesser offences.

    Verdict Expected For Canadian In U.A.E. In What Family Calls Unjust Case

    In This U.S. Election, Media Focus Is Nearly All Donald Trump, All The Time

    In This U.S. Election, Media Focus Is Nearly All Donald Trump, All The Time
    WASHINGTON — U.S. news networks devoted a half hour's worth of coverage the other day to an inanimate object: the stage upon which Donald Trump would eventually speak.

    In This U.S. Election, Media Focus Is Nearly All Donald Trump, All The Time

    California Sikhs To Honour Indian Journalist Vishwa Mitra Tandon

    California Sikhs To Honour Indian Journalist Vishwa Mitra Tandon
    Tandon will be honoured this weekend at multiple ceremonies in Yuba City which has a large population of the Punjabi community.

    California Sikhs To Honour Indian Journalist Vishwa Mitra Tandon

    Lightning Hits Children's Soccer Match In Germany, 35 Hurt

    Lightning Hits Children's Soccer Match In Germany, 35 Hurt
    BERLIN — Police in Germany say 35 people have been taken to the hospital after lightning struck a children's soccer match in western Germany.

    Lightning Hits Children's Soccer Match In Germany, 35 Hurt