Jasper: Medical condition causes car to veer off U.S. 231
Police say a medical condition could have been the reason a car went off U.S. 231 south of the State Road 162 intersection Tuesday morning.
Martha J. Best, 58, of Jasper, was southbound on U.S. 231 in a 2008 Toyota Camry at about 10:25 a.m. when her car suddenly went left of center and off the highway. Then, the car crashed through an Indiana Department of Transportation right-of-way fence, hit a post and sign owned by Circle A Properties, before traveling across Lube Way and striking an 8-foot chain link fence.
According to police, the Toyota traveled about 1,370 feet before stopping.
Best complained of chest and back pain, police said. She was transported by ambulance for treatment at Memorial Hospital.Damage was estimated at $10,000 to the Best Camry, $1,000 to the State of Indiana fence and $750 to the Circle A post and sign.
Damage was estimated at $10,000 to the Camry, $1,000 to the State of Indiana fence, $3,000 to the chain link fence and $750 to the Circle A post and sign.
The Jasper Volunteer Fire Department and Memorial Hospital Emergency Medical Services also assisted.
Honestly! This is SERIOUS stuff – not to be treated as casual news fodder and then forgotten or to fade away. First of all, CARS don’t have medical conditions (“Medical condition causes car to crash…”). Cars have MECHANICAL or EQUIPMENT conditions – failures which can result in crashes. Human beings – drivers – have medical conditions which all-too-often results in the driver losing control and crashing the car. The car doesn’t veer off the road – the driver steers and/or causes the car to go left of center, etc.
The public has a right to know of such medical conditions – they are NOT private or protected information when the public at large is jeopardized by drivers being licensed to drive either WITH such conditions or because they (their doctors) haven’t declared or reported the condition. What is the medical condition that caused this driver to loose control, plus the medical condition of the driver that caused the other recent fatal crash on 162? Furthermore, were these conditions known and approved for licensing by the BMV or other regulating agency, and what are those medical conditions that people are allowed or prohibited from being licensed to drive? This is a legitimate duty and responsibility of the press to report and inform – not to ignore or remain silent about – unlike much of the other crud the (mostly mainstream) media thinks they must expose and report on. Please, do your duty.