An elderly driver in Pacoima was lucky to emerge without a scratch after his vehicle was struck and severed by a crossing Union Pacific cargo train.

It was reported that the car and train collision occurred at 1:15 A.M. when the man fell asleep behind the wheel and stopped in the middle of the railroad tracks.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department Valley Traffic division, the elderly driver drove his Hyundai Sonata past the caution arm of the train tracks. The impact of the crash ripped the car in half and the rear-half, with the driver still inside spun 180 degrees.

The tracks underneath the train got bent and buckled all the way to Sylmar because of the percussion which caused of wave of force that bent the tracks.

While the man was lucky enough to escape unscathed even after his vehicle was cut in half, the authorities arrested him on suspicion of drunk driving.

Drowsy driving and drunk driving are both considered as impaired driving and are one of the leading causes of motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. While the latter is obviously a threat to road safety and many states have imposed laws prohibiting it, the effects of drowsy or fatigued driving are often underestimated and many people would push themselves to drive even if they’re sleepy or tired.

In fact, survey results from the National Sleep Foundation show that as much as 60 percent of all adult drivers (168 million people) have admitted to driving while feeling drowsy. Further, more than a third of these respondents have claimed to have fallen asleep at the wheel and 11 million of these respondents said that because they dozed off or were too tired while they were driving, they had an accident or a near crash.

People often feel that it’s still safe to drive while sleepy or exhausted but the reality is, drowsy or fatigued driving is a lot like drunk driving. Being awake for more than 18 hours is equivalent to an impairment of having a blood alcohol content of .05 percent, and .10 if you stay up for 24 hours.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that around 100,000 police-reported crashes every year are due to drowsy driving. Conservatives estimates would show that because of fatigued driving, 1,550 are killed, 71,000 are injured, and as much as $12.5 billion is lost each year.

In case of accidents involving a fatigued or drowsy driver, people affected (whether injured or suffered property damage as a result) may sue that drowsy driver. For more information on how to file a personal injury complaint against a drowsy driver, you may call the Mesriani Law Group at our toll free number at 1-866-325-4529 or email us at info@mesriani.com for any questions.