When you hear of someone losing control of their car, the first thing that comes to mind is, “Oh, they must have been drinking, driving too fast, or texting and driving”, but that is not always the case. This case for instance is a sad one. It happened right here in New York. A 44 year old male was driving alone in his SUV. While driving, he had a heart attack, crashed into an MTA bus, and flipped across 6th ave in NYC next to Bryant Park. Thankfully, cars were able to move out of the way in time, and pedestrians were also able to get out of the way.  Unfortunately, the 44 year old male (whose name was never released) was brought to the hospital in critical condition, and passed away.

This is just a reminder to always be aware of your surroundings. It doesn’t matter whether you are a pedestrian, or behind the wheel of a car, awareness is key. Being aware can prevent a lot of accidents, and injuries, as proven in this case. If the drivers surrounding the SUV at the time of the accident were blindly driving, there might not have been enough time for them to get out of the way, resulting in more injuries. If the pedestrians all had their music on the highest volume in their ears, they might not have heard the horn beeping them to get out of the way.

AWARENESS IS KEY!!!

In addition to being aware, always remember to anticipate the movements of other cars and pedestrians. Do not assume. For example, if you are at a stop sign, and need to make a right turn, and the car coming down the road towards you has a blinker on saying they are turning right onto your street, do not assume that they are because you could then possibly be in a T-Bone crash (see drawing below) which I can tell you from personal experience is NOT fun. No accident is.

Drive safely everyone, and be mindful of those around you.

In an instant, everything can change.