A 72-year-old Huron Township man died Monday after the vehicle he was driving left Knauss Road in Groton Township, crossed several hundred feet of farm field, and came to rest in a ditch. The crash likely would have gone unnoticed for far longer if not for the vehicle’s own OnStar system, which automatically alerted 9-1-1 and pinpointed exactly where the car had ended up.
That alert gave deputies and an EMT squad the location they needed to find the vehicle quickly, according to StayTunedSandusky, which reported the crash. Responders extracted the man from the vehicle once they reached the ditch where it had stopped.
OnStar’s Automatic Crash Response uses built-in vehicle sensors to alert an advisor after a moderate-to-severe crash. If occupants cannot respond, the advisor can contact the local emergency communications center and relay the vehicle’s GPS location. The system can also pass along crash details, such as air-bag status and direction of impact, and remotely sound the horn or flash the lights to help responders find the vehicle. The service requires an appropriately equipped vehicle and an active plan, as described in OnStar’s explanation of its emergency response system.
Crews Tried CPR En Route to Bellevue Hospital
Once the man was pulled from the car, responders began CPR at the scene. He was then rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he ultimately died despite those efforts, the outlet reported.
Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth said the man is suspected of having suffered a medical event before his vehicle left the roadway, though the exact nature of that event has not been detailed. The sheriff said the man’s family was being notified of his death.
Ohio has a medical-review process for drivers that is separate from a crash investigation. Physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who are concerned that a patient’s medical condition could affect safe driving are encouraged to notify the BMV. The agency may then request a physician statement and determine whether further testing or license restrictions are warranted, under the BMV’s medical-restriction and physician-reporting rules. The process addresses a driver’s licensing status; it does not by itself identify the cause of a collision.
What's Still Unknown
The man was identified only as a Huron Township resident; his name has not been released. The precise time of the crash, along with the identities of the responding deputies and EMT crew, also has not been made public.
