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When you are injured in an accident, the negligent driver is typically the one held liable and their insurance company is responsible for awarding damages to the injured party. But what happens when a person’s medical condition causes an accident?
This is a controversial topic because some believe that a person should not be charged or held liable because they suffered from a medical emergency, while others do believe that person is still ultimately responsible.
Legally, it depends on the individual situation and whether or not the driver who caused the accident was aware of their medical condition prior to operating their vehicle. Understandably, cases involving these types of incidents can be difficult as it can be challenging to prove whether or not a medical emergency happened at random or as the result of a known condition.
If you are injured in a car accident caused by a medical emergency, you will need to work with an experienced Central Kentucky Car Accident Lawyer. At McCoy & Sparks, our attorneys have handled cases like this before and know what it takes to prove fault and ensure you receive the settlement you deserve.
Medical Condition Causing Car Accident Statistics
A person can have a medical emergency that causes a car accident. This can happen as a result of a known or pre-existing condition, or it can happen as the result of a sudden, onset symptom or condition.
Overall, most studies over the past several years have shown that known medical conditions very rarely cause accidents. This is likely because people who are aware they have a severe condition that can affect their driving take precautionary measures to prevent accidents from happening.
However, there is still a small percentage of medical conditions causing car accidents—and when those accidents do occur, they can result in severe and devastating damages. There are also medical emergencies that can happen when someone doesn’t have a known condition.
For example, someone who has a heart attack while driving can cause an accident, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they had a known heart condition. Heart attacks can happen suddenly, and in people who otherwise appear to be healthy. So while known medical conditions are less likely to be the cause of an accident, it is much more common for unknown conditions or sudden medical emergencies to cause an accident.
Common Medical Emergencies That Can Cause a Car Accident
Car accidents caused by medical emergencies can happen for various reasons. Again, it can be the result of a known condition or it can happen as the result of a sudden medical emergency. Known conditions like epilepsy can be dangerous, for example, and result in severe accidents. Or, someone could lose control of their vehicle from losing consciousness unrelated to an existing condition.
Some of the most common causes of a medical emergency car accident include:
- Low blood sugar, which can cause someone to become dizzy or even pass out.
- Loss of muscular control from a seizure, stroke, or nerve condition.
- Sudden, extreme pain from a muscle spasm, heart attack, migraine, or other condition.
- Loss of focus or cognitive ability from changes in mental state as a result of mental or neurological emergencies or disorders.
- Loss of consciousness, which can happen for a variety of reasons such as epilepsy, passing out from pain or dizziness, heatstroke, and more.
- Choking from eating or drinking while driving or from chewing gum.
Determining Fault in an Car Accident Due to a Medical Condition
If a person’s medical emergency causes a car accident, whether or not they are held liable will depend on something known as the sudden emergency doctrine. This doctrine is in place to protect drivers who cause an accident as a result of a sudden medical emergency. If, however, the accident happened as the result of a known condition and the accident could have been prevented, then the person can be held liable.
Proving whether or not a medical emergency was sudden or known can be extremely challenging and requires the help of an attorney. Handling car accident cases in any situation can be difficult, but in this situation, it can be even harder to prove fault.
If you want to hold the individual who had the medical emergency accountable you will need to disprove the following, to ensure they cannot use a sudden medical emergency as a defense:
- The loss of consciousness occurs without warning, giving them no time to react to prevent an accident.
- The loss of consciousness resulted from an unknown medical condition, thus the resulting accident was unforeseeable and not preventable.
- The accident was the result of a sudden medical emergency because it caused the driver to lose control without any time to react.
Trust McCoy & Sparks—Premier Personal Injury Attorneys in Central Kentucky
If you are the victim of a car accident due to a medical condition or a medical emergency, our team of experienced personal injury attorneys can assist you. Recognized as one of Central Kentucky’s best law firms for over a decade, McCoy & Sparks represents thousands of clients with a focus on providing premium service and delivering superior results.
You owe us nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Make the right call to (844) 4KY-WINS for a risk-free consultation with one of our attorneys today.