Man has heart attack at wheel
2007-10-18 10:09
Durban - A Durban man died on Wednesday night after suffering a heart attack while driving, paramedics said on Thursday.
ER24 spokesperson Derrick Banks said the incident took place after 19:00.
"The man just slumped over the steering wheel and died. He suffered a heart attack," said Banks.
"But the car came to a stop after that," he said.
The man was with his family and was travelling along Umbilo Road when the incident took place.
No other family members were injured.
This was the third accident in the past 24 hours where Durban drivers have become ill behind the steering wheel.
On Wednesday morning, a motorist fell into a diabetic coma while driving. He had been transporting school pupils in the KwaDakuza area.
Five people, four of them pupils, died at the scene while six other teenagers were taken to hospital in a serious condition.
Nearly two hours later, a lorry driver - suspected of having a blackout - crashed into a high school classroom in the Lindelani area.
ER24 confirmed that 14 pupils sustained minor injuries.
Drivers with medical conditions a threat
The Transport Department said drivers with particular medical conditions were a threat to other road users.
KwaZulu-Natal Transport department spokesperson Rajen Chinaboo said the Road Traffic Act stated clearly that people who suffered from medical conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy should not have driver's licences.
"The problem is that we cannot make sure of this," he said.
He said truck, bus and minibus taxi drivers were checked medically before they were issued with licences.
"With a normal driver's licence, the applicant is not medically checked and we would not know even if they do have a condition. The responsibility is on each person," he said
Chinaboo said that when some people were young - and diabetic - they just wanted their licences.
"But they only start getting really sick when they grow older. The problem is they still continue driving."
He said blackouts stemmed from diabetes.
He said that drivers - even those without medical conditions - who did not feel well, should not get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
- SAPA