Close X
Wednesday, November 6, 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

    New Website Helps Germans And Migrants Meet, Talk About Life

    New Website Helps Germans And Migrants Meet, Talk About Life
    Thousands of migrants were pouring into Germany every day, but the 36-year-old startup consultant from Berlin hadn't met a single one of them.

    New Website Helps Germans And Migrants Meet, Talk About Life

    Indian Descent Congressman Ami Bera's Re-Election At Risk By Father's Illegal Financing

    Indian Descent Congressman Ami Bera's Re-Election At Risk By Father's Illegal Financing
    The 83-year-old father of Ami Bera, the only Indian descent Congressman, has pleaded guilty to illegally funding his son's election campaigns with at least $260,000. putting at risk his reelection in November.

    Indian Descent Congressman Ami Bera's Re-Election At Risk By Father's Illegal Financing

    Canadians Sought After Man Shot Seven Times In The Head In Dubai

    Canadians Sought After Man Shot Seven Times In The Head In Dubai
    Dubai's police chief, Maj. Gen. Khamis Mattar al-Mazeina, said the victim "used to carry an Iranian passport and then had a Turkish one."

    Canadians Sought After Man Shot Seven Times In The Head In Dubai

    Iraqi Family 'Burnt Alive' By Islamic State

    Iraqi Family 'Burnt Alive' By Islamic State
    The family, which included two children, had defied an order from the IS in the Riyadh district, forbidding residents to leave the area, said Syrian website 

    Iraqi Family 'Burnt Alive' By Islamic State

    Emirates Group announces record profits

    Emirates Group announces record profits
    During the 2015-16 financial year, both Emirates and dnata achieved new capacity and profit milestones, as the Group continued to expand its global footprint, and strengthen its business through strategic investments. 

    Emirates Group announces record profits

    A Donald Trump Truce? He's A Guest On Megyn Kelly's Fox TV Special

    A Donald Trump Truce? He's A Guest On Megyn Kelly's Fox TV Special
    When Megyn Kelly sits down with Donald Trump for her prime-time special on the Fox broadcasting network, the Fox News Channel host hopes to call a truce to the war waged by the presumptive Republican nominee

    A Donald Trump Truce? He's A Guest On Megyn Kelly's Fox TV Special