Close X
Saturday, November 30, 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

    Boxing Day For PM In NYC: First With Students' Questions, Then In A Brooklyn Gym

    Boxing Day For PM In NYC: First With Students' Questions, Then In A Brooklyn Gym
    The prime minister fielded a series of questions from students at New York University, some more pointed than others. One student asked how he could justify backing new oil pipelines after campaigning on climate change.

    Boxing Day For PM In NYC: First With Students' Questions, Then In A Brooklyn Gym

    Pennsylvania Fines Uber $11Million For Operating Without Approval

    HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania regulators fined Uber $11.4 million on Thursday — a record for the utility commission — for operating for six months in 2014 without the required approval. The company said it would appeal.

    Pennsylvania Fines Uber $11Million For Operating Without Approval

    Sentencing Hearing Begins For Convicted B.C. Pedophile Known As 'Swirl Face'

    Sentencing Hearing Begins For Convicted B.C. Pedophile Known As 'Swirl Face'
    Christopher Neil, 41, pleaded guilty in December to five charges including counts under Canada's child-sex tourism laws.

    Sentencing Hearing Begins For Convicted B.C. Pedophile Known As 'Swirl Face'

    ISIS May Be Behind Gurdwara Attack In Germany

    ISIS May Be Behind Gurdwara Attack In Germany
    One of the two men identified by police as Yusuf T, an ISIS sympathiser, is now treated by investigators as the main suspect in the attack, ARD TV network reported.

    ISIS May Be Behind Gurdwara Attack In Germany

    Mahatma's Granddaughter Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee Gets French Honour

    Mahatma's Granddaughter Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee Gets French Honour
    French Ambassador Francois Richier conferred the L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) on Bhattacharjee at the French Embassy here. 

    Mahatma's Granddaughter Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee Gets French Honour

    Pakistan's Wanted 'Chhotu' Criminal Gang Surrenders

    Pakistan's Wanted 'Chhotu' Criminal Gang Surrenders
    The Pakistan Army said on Wednesday that a criminal gang that was involved in crimes in parts of Punjab province had surrendered to the security forces.

    Pakistan's Wanted 'Chhotu' Criminal Gang Surrenders