The Shoulder
The Shoulder
67
swift-newt-205

Blacked out behind the wheel at 18 — walked away fine but still shaken months later

This is kind of embarrassing to post but I haven't really talked about it with anyone and I need to get it out.

Back in the spring I borrowed my older brother's sedan to run some errands. Normal Tuesday. I was on a two-lane road through a pretty quiet part of town — speed limit is 35 there — and the last thing I remember is feeling this weird rushing feeling in my ears and my vision going gray. That's it.

I came to with the car halfway into a shallow drainage ditch, front end crumpled against a concrete culvert. A woman who lived nearby was already at my window asking if I could hear her. Somehow I had no serious injuries — a seatbelt bruise across my chest and a messed-up wrist that turned out to be a mild sprain. That's it.

The car was totaled. I felt so guilty about my brother's car. He was honestly amazing about it — more worried about me than anything.

I've since seen a doctor and we figured out I had an undiagnosed blood pressure issue that probably caused the blackout. Getting that treated now, which I guess is the one good thing that came out of this.

Two things I keep thinking about: 1. Neither of the front airbags deployed even though the front end took a pretty solid hit. Is that normal depending on the angle of impact? 2. The ditch was on county-maintained land and the culvert had basically no signage or barrier around it. Does that ever matter legally or am I overthinking it?

I saved up and bought my own car last month — nothing fancy but it's mine. Just glad I'm here to drive it honestly. Has anyone else dealt with a medical blackout accident?

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12 replies

  • 20
    clever-swan-076

    I had a seizure while driving two years ago — similar situation where I just lost time and woke up to chaos. The guilt and embarrassment are so real, but honestly the fact that you got a diagnosis out of it might have just saved your life down the road. Mine did. It's scary but you handled it.

  • 19
    candid-raven-249

    Really glad you got checked out and found the blood pressure issue. Undiagnosed orthostatic hypotension or vasovagal stuff can fly under the radar for years, especially in younger people. Just make sure you're following up consistently with whoever is managing that — not just a one-time visit. And don't be surprised if you feel anxious driving for a while. That's a normal trauma response, not weakness.

    • 8
      thankful-mile-marker785

      Thank you both, this gave me the push I needed to make the call.

  • 5
    wise-fox-374

    Your question about the culvert is actually worth looking into — not legal advice, but premises/roadway liability is a real area of law. If a government entity failed to adequately mark or protect a known hazard, that can sometimes be relevant. The tricky part is that claims against county or municipal entities usually have short notice deadlines, so if you're curious, don't sit on it too long.

    • 13
      humble-otter-406

      Two practical things: (1) check whether your state requires you to report a medical blackout episode to the DMV — some do, and your doctor may actually be required to flag it. Better to know now than have it surprise you later. (2) On the culvert, photograph everything if you haven't already. Even months later. Road conditions change and evidence disappears fast.

    • 5
      patient-driver669

      Did you have to escalate, or did they come around after the first ask?

  • 12
    tidy-mole-709

    On the airbag question — deployment depends on a bunch of factors: the angle of impact, deceleration rate, which sensors get triggered. A glancing blow into a ditch doesn't always hit the threshold even if the damage looks bad. That said, if you ever pursued any kind of claim, an accident reconstructionist could pull the vehicle's event data recorder to see exactly what the car recorded in those last few seconds. That data can be really telling.

  • 9
    gentle-tern-237

    Did your brother's insurance company try to ask you a bunch of questions about what happened right away? Because the second you mention 'I don't remember anything' to an adjuster, they start building a file. Just be careful what you say and to whom — even casual recorded statements can come back weird.

    • 2
      calm-neighbor129

      Did you have to escalate, or did they come around after the first ask?

  • 7
    candid-stoat-713

    The fact that you walked away from that genuinely gives me chills. Please don't be embarrassed — you had an undiagnosed medical condition, that's not a character flaw. Congrats on the new car and on actually figuring out what was going on with your health. That took courage.

  • 15
    wise-elk-395

    Did any official report document the cause as a medical episode, or is that just what you and your doctor figured out afterward? I ask because how the accident is officially categorized can matter a lot if any claims or liability questions come up later. Just curious what the police report actually says.

    • 5
      honest-rider257

      Curious whether you did this on your own or had help with it.