Close X
Tuesday, November 5, 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

    Lenders Lower Kingfisher House Reserve Price To Rs 135 Crore

    Lenders Lower Kingfisher House Reserve Price To Rs 135 Crore
    Three months after they failed to sell the Kingfisher House, erstwhile headquarters of the defunct Kingfisher Airlines, lenders have once again put up the property for auction with a lower reserve price of Rs 135 crore so as to part-recover their loans.

    Lenders Lower Kingfisher House Reserve Price To Rs 135 Crore

    British Lawmakers Call For Legalising Prostitution

    A cross-party group of British lawmakers led by Indian-origin lawmaker Keith Vaz has called on the UK government to decriminalise sex work and prostitution, first time in decades that Parliament has considered the "polarising" subject.

    British Lawmakers Call For Legalising Prostitution

    US Family Begs For Mercy For Couple Held In Afghanistan

    US Family Begs For Mercy For Couple Held In Afghanistan
    Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle lost touch with their families while travelling in a mountainous region near the Afghan capital, Kabul.

    US Family Begs For Mercy For Couple Held In Afghanistan

    Dhaka Attack: 20-Yr-old Who Killed After Refusing To Leave Female Friends Behind Praised As 'Hero'

    Dhaka Attack: 20-Yr-old Who Killed After Refusing To Leave Female Friends Behind Praised As 'Hero'
    While many flooded social media with rich tributes to the 20-year-old, Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune called him an icon to all Bangladeshis as "his bravery and selflessness is an inspiration for generations to come". 

    Dhaka Attack: 20-Yr-old Who Killed After Refusing To Leave Female Friends Behind Praised As 'Hero'

    Pakistani-Origin Man Jailed For Shouting 'Allah-O-Akbar' On Plane

    Pakistani-Origin Man Jailed For Shouting 'Allah-O-Akbar' On Plane
      Shehraz Sarwar caused alarm with his behaviour during turbulence on-board an Emirates Boeing 777 from Dubai to Birmingham

    Pakistani-Origin Man Jailed For Shouting 'Allah-O-Akbar' On Plane

    New Art Exhibit 'Sikh Project' To Explore Sikh Identity In Post-9/11 US

    New Art Exhibit 'Sikh Project' To Explore Sikh Identity In Post-9/11 US
    The exhibition will highlight the aesthetic of the Sikh articles of faith, including the turban and beard.

    New Art Exhibit 'Sikh Project' To Explore Sikh Identity In Post-9/11 US