Asleep at the wheel
By Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Updated Fri May 29, 2015
Making headlines this week, Tracy Morgan, who settled with Walmart over a crash last June that left him gravely injured.
You may recall, Morgan was in a limo that was rear-ended by a tractor trailer driver for the retail behemoth. Two others were injured and one person was killed.
The driver had been awake for more than 24 hours and fell asleep at the wheel. Who wouldn't?
Preventable tragedies like these, especially those that involve the famous, serve to elevate the national conversation on things like tired truckers.
And, as I've discussed many times with my sleep peeps, the conversation on the importance of sleep, as well as a greater awareness of sleep apnea, has definitely gotten louder in the past few years among the hoi polloi—to everyone's benefit.
Speaking of conversation and sleep driving, a recent edition of CPAP Chat featured Sylvia Hebert, who crashed on a busy highway.
“I must have fallen asleep at 65 miles per hour,” she told state troopers.
Sylvie was subsequently diagnosed with sleep apnea, and is, I am assuming, feeling much better.
So if you're feeling like it's natural to feel tired all the time, please reconsider. And for the rest of our sakes, please! Don't get behind the wheel.
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