Investigators Determine Engineer in Fatal Train Crash Had Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea

This week, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that last year’s fatal NYC train derailment was likely caused by the engineer who fell asleep at the controls due to an undiagnosed sleep disorder.

Those of us in the sleep therapy industry are always talking about the dangers of not getting enough sleep. Besides the serious health issues that can derive from chronic fatigue, thousands of lives and billions of dollars are lost annually due to sleep apnea.

The NY commuter train was traveling at about 80 mph -- 50 miles per hour faster than the speed limit when it rounded a curve and derailed about 7 a.m. on December 1, 2013. Four people were killed and 61 were injured in the derailment. NTSB investigators learned the engineer had severe obstructive sleep apnea that had not been diagnosed. With such apnea, the airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep, causing drowsiness.

In addition to selling CPAP devices, one of National Sleep Therapy’s primary missions is to help people recognize and deal with their sleep apnea. It’s an ongoing educational process that we take seriously. We are constantly reminding people who think they or someone they know may have sleep apnea to ask their doctors to arrange a sleep test. The results of that test can determine if a person may need CPAP therapy in order to get a good night’s sleep. For more information: www.nstherapy.com

Photo Credit: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton



1 comment:

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