Man with sleep apnea diagnosis involved in fatal Tokyo accident
Tokyo MPD revealed that the driver had stopped using a prescribed medical device to treat his condition and felt sleepy from the time he started driving on the day of the accident.
A 34-year-old Tokyo delivery driver diagnosed with sleep apnea was involved in a fatal accident in April after allegedly running a red light and striking a pedestrian. The incident occurred at an intersection in Setagaya Ward around 6:20 a.m. on April 3. The pedestrian, in his 70s, died from the collision. Police sources revealed that the driver stopped using his prescribed medical device to treat the sleep apnea and had not used it since November.
He claimed he continued driving to earn income despite his chronic drowsiness. This would be the first case of dangerous driving resulting in death due to sleep apnea in Japan. The driver's arrest led to the police sending papers to prosecutors, alleging violation of the motor truck transportation business law for unauthorized deliveries between February and April.
Sleep apnea syndrome causes repeated breathing interruptions during sleep, which can lead to severe daytime drowsiness and a significant risk of traffic accidents. It is estimated that about 940,000 people in Japan are affected by this condition.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
