"Drunk" Driver Crashes, But Gets Off Because It's Hypoglycemia

Motorists in Washington state frantically called 911 from their cell phones Thursday night to report a drunken driver weaving all over the road and running into cars, a King County Journal reported.

Then, the erratic driver rear-ended a Kent woman, fled police and then later got into fistfight with deputies.

Finally, police subdued the wild driver, but they didn't arrest him and lock him up. In fact, he won't even face criminal charges.

What?

Well, this is the latest example of a driver, whose behavior is influenced by low blood sugar. In fact, hypoglycemia can even mimick inebriation.

So the official word from King County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart is that the man was suffering from hypoglycemia or ``insulin shock'' brought on by low blood sugar.

``There were no criminal charges,'' Urquhart told the King County Journal. ``It was a medical situation.''

This incident highlights how incredibly important it is for diabetics to carefully monitor their blood sugar levels by eating right (especially cutting out or limiting those quickie carbs), exercising and, if they're on insulin, taking it at the right times and in the proper amounts.

Hypoglycemics also need to monitor their blood sugar by making sure eat frequently to prevent such attacks.

Bear in mind that having a low blood sugar attack while driving is very dangerous -- and even potentially deadly.

Here are some guidelines for diabetics and driving from the U.S. Department of Transportation, American Diabetes Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Actually, this car accident brings to mind my own driving problems years ago while I was having a low blood sugar reaction. (See my quirky cartoon about the incident, called, "Connie and the Cops.")

This was back in 1998, and I'd already kicked sweets a few months previously so I was still on a learning curve as to what foods I should eat and when.

Well, that morning I stupidly had only a cup of plain yogurt.

Suffice it to say that several hours later, I inadvertantly ran a stop sign because I was so frantic for food due to my plunge in blood sugar. Well, the police came after me. When they pulled me over, the cop had his hand on his gun -- I do not kid -- I guess I was weaving, like the driver I just told you about.

At this point, I was shaking badly (appearing drunk, I presume), starting to cry, and getting mighty irrational.

When I explained my desperate low blood sugar to the cops, one of them went up with me to my apartment to get me food so I wouldn't faint! Check out my quirky cartoon, "Connie and the Cops," so see how the incident played out.

After that scary situation with the police, I quickly made an appointment with a nutritionist to help me figure out how to prevent that from happening again. (So you see, I've learned the hard way what to do and what not to do -- and that's why I'm so eager to share my knowledge with you so you won't get pulled over my the cops yourself or get into an unnecessary accident.)

Again, please make sure to eat properly before you get behind a wheel and that you keep your blood sugar levels stable. One of the best ways to do that -- in addition to taking the right amounts of insulin (if you're on it) is to eat small, frequent healthy meals that contain only quality carbs.

Comments

[Melissa]

I think it needs to be determined if a person in this situation knows he/she has diabetes or hypoglycemia. If they know and they drive/fly without checking their sugar levels and have a reaction without pulling over? I think that's negligent on their part. It's like a drunk getting behind the wheel knowing they'd had a few beers. Diabetics should never get in the drivers seat of any kind of vehicle without checking their blood sugar, and should always have on hand emergency glucose tablets in case they begin to hypo. Anyone who suffers from hypoglycemia should also purchase a blood sugar monitor and test themselves frequently. I watch a TV show called dLife (www.dlife.com) and there was a story on there about a pilot with diabetes and how he is still able to fly even with the disease: http://dlife.com/dLife/do/ShowContent/dlife_tv/As_seen_on_TV/dare_to_dream.html This man in the blog entry should face prosecution if he knew of his condition and didn't take proper precautions to protect not only his life but others' lives when getting behind the wheel. It's just like drinking and driving in my opinion.