According to the Lakeland Ledger, Christine Osterholtz, 59, of Lakeland, FL was involved in a motor vehicle accident after falling asleep behind the wheel on June 2, 2009. She then struck a vehicle driven by Michael Dacunto, 43, of Springhill, FL.
Osterholtz was driving eastbound on Interstate 4 in the center lane near Park Road in Lakeland, FL at about 8 a.m. She fell asleep, causing her 2008 Ford four-door vehicle to merge into the far right lane, directly in the path of Dacunto's semi truck. The Ford hit on the left side of the truck and pushed it into the concrete barrier wall. The truck overturned and landed on the roof of Osterholtz's sedan.
The vehicles then continued to slide across the eastbound lanes and land on top of the guardrail. Osterholtz's sedan was pinned beneath the semi. The inside and center lanes on Interstate 4 were blocked because of the accident for four hours, while troopers investigated the scene.
Both Osterholtz and Dacunto, were taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with minor injuries. The Florida Highway Patrol reported that Osterholtz was later charged with failing to drive in a single lane.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA), drivers ages 45 through 65 have fewer nighttime fall-asleep crashes, and often have fall-asleep crashes at 7 a.m. Also, drowsy-driving crashes frequently occur on highways and major roadways with speed limits of 55 to 65 mph. NHTSA figures show that most sleep-related accidents occur on higher-speed roads, not around urban areas.
82 percent of drowsy-driving crashes involve a single occupant. Drivers are less likely to fall asleep at the wheel when there are passengers in the vehicle. Also, evidence of the driver trying to avoid the accident is often missing in sleep-related accidents. Skid marks are not often left, and brake lights are not used in the majority of the accidents.
In my practice as a personal injury attorney in Polk County, FL, I represent victims of automobile accidents. Driving while drowsy is never a good idea. One might argue it is a form of impaired driving. In a personal injury claim like this one, an accident reconstructionist may be needed to investigate the crash to determine whether the driver did in fact fall asleep at the wheel. As discussed by the NHTSA, there are physical indicators of a sleep-related crash, which an expert should be able to document.
