medical conditions and DUI

[shyone08]

I had been diagnosed as being hypoglycemic about a year ago and was told to always make sure I had either glucose tablets, a juice of some sort or hard candy with me for when my blood sugar would get low. I was ALWAYS so careful about having tablets with me because I hated the symptoms that came with low blood sugar and the minute I noticed a symptom I would pop something in my mouth.

A week ago I had a rare late night out with my friends. I ended up falling asleep on my best friend's couch after we had spent the night watching sappy movies. I woke up and saw the clock and panicked because I needed to get home (it was around 2am) I felt the symptoms of low blood sugar coming on (last I ate was around 6 so they were definately noticeable) but I was five or so miles from my house and figured that it couldn't get that much lower in two miles.

I was wrong. By the time I was a couple miles from my house everything was blurry, I was lightheaded, I was seeing double, I was shaking and sweating, my heart was racing...I knew that if I kept driving I was more than likely to get myself in a wreck and hurt myself or somebody else so I pulled over on the side of the road and laid my head on the steering wheel. After a while I figured I would get out of my car and look for something with sugar. At that point, if I had found a piece of candy on the car floor that someone had spit out, I would've eaten it for the sugar. I got out of my car and the world started to spin...so I just stood there for a little bit trying to make the world stop spinning. With my hands on the car to help me get to the back I dug through everything. Then I heard someone behind me and it was a cop.

She thought I was drunk. She asked me how much I had to drink. I said nothing. She goes "oh yeah?" like she didn't believe me. I asked if she had anything with sugar...she gave me a weird look (understandable). After a while I had to get back into my car because I felt like I was going to pass out. I got back in the car. She kindly asked me to get out. Then she noticed my medical bracelet. I never seen a person move so fast. She radioed for a squad and she was down by my side trying to keep me alert. She explained that she had reason to believe I was drunk and that often medical conditions can cause people to make them act drunk.

To make this longer story shorter...the squad came and gave me oral glucose and within ten minutes I was more alert than what I was. The officer felt terrible and I felt bad for her. I told her it was okay and it was understandable. She told me that it was good I pulled over and to to keep it in check and to be careful. I ALWAYS have tablets with me...but had run out the day before and had forgotten to run to the drug store to pick up some. That was the stupidest move ever on my part :rolleyes: (that and deciding to leave my friend's house to go home :rolleyes: )

It didn't even dawn on me that medical conditions, when they act up, can have people appear drunk. I completely understood why she pulled me over. I completely understood why she believed I was drunk. (note: even if I wanted to drink I wouldn't be able to because of my blood sugar!). I was stumbling around my car, holding onto it to make the world stop spinning. I was slurring my words (a symptom of low blood sugar also)...so obviously all the signs of being drunk were there.

How often does this occur? Has anyone ever had an experience of pulling someone over you thought was drunk, determined to give a sobriety test, only to find out they had a medical condition? I am just curious, is all.

Sorry it's so long...I tend to write long books :rolleyes: I am expecting some kind of letter from somewhere saying I need to go to a doctor and get a letter. This is the first time this has happened. Like I said, at the onset of symptoms I have a tablet in my mouth. I am usually really good about that. This time I was just stupid, I guess :rolleyes:

Thanks, guys! :p :D :)

[pkagel]

We were trained in my academy on your exact condition. I'd send in a letter to the officer's dept thanking her for her quick and appropriate actions that night.

[gotthblues]

We were trained in my academy on your exact condition. I'd send in a letter to the officer's dept thanking her for her quick and appropriate actions that night.
absolutly, kudos to the officers that night.

[e-man]

For a person with the name of SHYONE you sure talk alot :D Glad to hear you ok and that the cop did her job, Being SLEEPY {I know Iam on nights} and low blood sugar { i know cause it always happens to me, thats why Iam always eating :D } do mimic DUI. Sleepy drivers cause too many avoidable accidents but I dont know the stats. Maybe the Nat. Highway Traffic board has stats or your local Dept. of Transp. on their website.

[gotthblues]

For a person with the name of SHYONE you sure talk alot :D Glad to hear you ok and that the cop did her job, Being SLEEPY {I know Iam on nights} and low blood sugar { i know cause it always happens to me, thats why Iam always eating :D } do mimic DUI. Sleepy drivers cause too many avoidable accidents but I dont know the stats. Maybe the Nat. Highway Traffic board has stats or your local Dept. of Transp. on their website.
before i got out of LE, i heard something about some places trying to pass the "sleepy driver" law, it s been about 6 mo since i left, have you heard anything more about this.

[e-man]

before i got out of LE, i heard something about some places trying to pass the "sleepy driver" law, it s been about 6 mo since i left, have you heard anything more about this.
No i havent BUT it is a huge problem. I just read in the local paper {www.triblive.com} that a Cop in another county east of Pittsburgh is NOT being disicplined for falling asleep while working and Crashing patrol car. The chief said when they get sleepy they know to either go to the station or just check doors and get out of the car.

[gotthblues]

No i havent BUT it is a huge problem. I just read in the local paper {www.triblive.com} that a Cop in another county east of Pittsburgh is NOT being disicplined for falling asleep while working and Crashing patrol car. The chief said when they get sleepy they know to either go to the station or just check doors and get out of the car.
hummm, well i guess they just dont care then,, just like when congress or whoever it was that said meth isnt a big problem.
that doesnt suprise me, i found out that my former pd had an officer who was dui and crashed into a house, no problem, it happens, still there, i couldnt tell you how many accidents i worked cause of sleepy drivers, and that was in a 4 yr period. i think it ought to rank with reckless driving, here that is an automatic 10 points, dl suspended.

[PhilipCal]

Sounds like you learned a very valuable lesson. The Officer who encountered you knew her job as did the Officers who assisted her. Now, here comes the lecture. A little bit of foresight on your part could have prevented the entire episode. It's YOUR responsibility to properly deal with your condition, and you would have been fully liable had you had an accident as a result of your condition. Thus endith the sermon. You were very fortunate.

[PTI]

Many years ago I arrested a guy for DUI. Prior to arresting him I asked him all the pretest questions. One was, "are you diabetic or epileptic?" He said no. After arresting him and taking him to the jail he blows .00 in the breath machine. It is now he decides to tell me he is diabetic. He said he was embarassed at the scene to admit it. After a glass of OJ he was good as new.

[medic_9]

If your blood sugar is that irregular and unpredictible you should go to the Dr. Your condition might have changed to you needing to check your own blood sugar regularly and maybe talking pills or insulin. Not only is having a low blood sugar dangerous especially if you are driving it's also very damaging to your organs (brain...)

FYI..

[Lucky Seven]

Many years ago I arrested a guy for DUI. Prior to arresting him I asked him all the pretest questions. One was, "are you diabetic or epileptic?" He said no. After arresting him and taking him to the jail he blows .00 in the breath machine. It is now he decides to tell me he is diabetic. He said he was embarassed at the scene to admit it. After a glass of OJ he was good as new.


I bet you were a rookie then! :p :eek:



(Hint: No odor of alcoholic beverage).

I almost did the same thing YEARS ago, so I just had to give ya some sheeeeettt. :D

[Lucky Seven]

ShyOne08,

I'm glad to hear that your situation turned out ok. It could have been far different had you been in a rural area where no one came by.

This demonstrates a little tiny slice of the amount of training that most officers receive. The officer recognized the med bracelet, the symptoms of your condition, and requested an appropriate response to provide you with medical attention.

I think it would be appropriate (if you can find it in your heart) to write a thank-you letter to the officer's department.

[Centurion44]

Ditto Lucky Seven's post.

To answer your questions, Shy, it happens more than I think most ppl think. Usually though with me it's a diabetic who doesn't have enough sugar or insulin in their system. You should always keep something on you though, even in your car. 2 is 1, 1 is none.

Good of you to pull over, but if you felt the effects before you drove and told the officer that, you probably could have been cited. If you feel the effects before hand, always take care of it before you drive. It's not just your life your risking, it's everyone who's on the road- including my baby sister, nieces, and nephews.

[PTI]

I bet you were a rookie then! :p :eek:



(Hint: No odor of alcoholic beverage).

I almost did the same thing YEARS ago, so I just had to give ya some sheeeeettt. :D
Yep....that was an East Los caper!

[shyone08]

I'm way ahead of you guys and have already sent in a note a couple days after :)

[Lucky Seven]

I'm way ahead of you guys and have already sent in a note a couple days after :)


Thank-you.

[depdog]

I bet you were a rookie then! :p :eek:



(Hint: No odor of alcoholic beverage).

I almost did the same thing YEARS ago, so I just had to give ya some sheeeeettt. :D


I have people blow .000 and then get urine from them. Ussually will come back with some kind of drug. We also use DRE's for .000. You don't have to have the odor. ;)

[haus409]

I was called to assist EMS a few weeks ago. The guy they were trying to help was hypoglycemic and his sugar crashed when he was getting his hair cut. He didn't know his family that was there and he was ready to fight everyone. Luckily, we got him to drink a little soda (or something, I don't remember) before it got ugly. In less than a minute he was back to normal, asking what had happened.

[Lucky Seven]

I have people blow .000 and then get urine from them. Ussually will come back with some kind of drug. We also use DRE's for .000. You don't have to have the odor. ;)


I am a DRE and an EMT. Prior to the PAS an officer who didn't have medical training could easily mistake the symptoms of hypoglycemia as intoxication.

With the addition of the DRE program, medical bracelets, the preliminary alcohol screening device, and medical training beyond band-aids, hopefully recognition of alcohol / drug intoxication vs medical problems is rare today.

[marshaldan]

I had been diagnosed as being hypoglycemic about a year ago and was told to always make sure I had either glucose tablets, a juice of some sort or hard candy with me for when my blood sugar would get low. I was ALWAYS so careful about having tablets with me because I hated the symptoms that came with low blood sugar and the minute I noticed a symptom I would pop something in my mouth.

A week ago I had a rare late night out with my friends. I ended up falling asleep on my best friend's couch after we had spent the night watching sappy movies. I woke up and saw the clock and panicked because I needed to get home (it was around 2am) I felt the symptoms of low blood sugar coming on (last I ate was around 6 so they were definately noticeable) but I was five or so miles from my house and figured that it couldn't get that much lower in two miles.

I was wrong. By the time I was a couple miles from my house everything was blurry, I was lightheaded, I was seeing double, I was shaking and sweating, my heart was racing...I knew that if I kept driving I was more than likely to get myself in a wreck and hurt myself or somebody else so I pulled over on the side of the road and laid my head on the steering wheel. After a while I figured I would get out of my car and look for something with sugar. At that point, if I had found a piece of candy on the car floor that someone had spit out, I would've eaten it for the sugar. I got out of my car and the world started to spin...so I just stood there for a little bit trying to make the world stop spinning. With my hands on the car to help me get to the back I dug through everything. Then I heard someone behind me and it was a cop.

She thought I was drunk. She asked me how much I had to drink. I said nothing. She goes "oh yeah?" like she didn't believe me. I asked if she had anything with sugar...she gave me a weird look (understandable). After a while I had to get back into my car because I felt like I was going to pass out. I got back in the car. She kindly asked me to get out. Then she noticed my medical bracelet. I never seen a person move so fast. She radioed for a squad and she was down by my side trying to keep me alert. She explained that she had reason to believe I was drunk and that often medical conditions can cause people to make them act drunk.

To make this longer story shorter...the squad came and gave me oral glucose and within ten minutes I was more alert than what I was. The officer felt terrible and I felt bad for her. I told her it was okay and it was understandable. She told me that it was good I pulled over and to to keep it in check and to be careful. I ALWAYS have tablets with me...but had run out the day before and had forgotten to run to the drug store to pick up some. That was the stupidest move ever on my part :rolleyes: (that and deciding to leave my friend's house to go home :rolleyes: )

It didn't even dawn on me that medical conditions, when they act up, can have people appear drunk. I completely understood why she pulled me over. I completely understood why she believed I was drunk. (note: even if I wanted to drink I wouldn't be able to because of my blood sugar!). I was stumbling around my car, holding onto it to make the world stop spinning. I was slurring my words (a symptom of low blood sugar also)...so obviously all the signs of being drunk were there.

How often does this occur? Has anyone ever had an experience of pulling someone over you thought was drunk, determined to give a sobriety test, only to find out they had a medical condition? I am just curious, is all.

Sorry it's so long...I tend to write long books :rolleyes: I am expecting some kind of letter from somewhere saying I need to go to a doctor and get a letter. This is the first time this has happened. Like I said, at the onset of symptoms I have a tablet in my mouth. I am usually really good about that. This time I was just stupid, I guess :rolleyes:

Thanks, guys! :p :D :)

You are the one that made the judjment error. You should have been cited for driving while impaired. When you operate a car or a plane you self certify that your physical condition is good enough to do it.
I would have cited you as a warning not to endanger life. Yours is your own business, but not the people that you may run into. They do not deserve you. Then it becomes public business. I do not care that it is a medical condition. You should not have been driving.
The law is clear on this one. The cause of your impairment is irrelevant.
The officer did what she was supposed to do, stop an impaired driver. And in this case, get help for you.
You still would have gone to jail here. Well, maybe not as the glucose brought you back. We have better things to do than babysit idiots.
You knew about your condition and chose to drive anyway.
There is no excuse for that.
You would not enjoy the talking to that I would have given you. Any back talk would send you straight to jail. Do not pass go.
I hope you learned your lesson.

[Parker]

This person is an idiot?

She seeks advice on this forum. She sends a thank you letter to the police officer. She has a medical condition that no one would ask for. She had to get home and perhaps made an error in judgement in her ability to drive BUT in good faith she did not think her blood sugar level would lower in the two mile drive.

Why is she an idiot? :eek:

[ctt]

I would have cited you as a warning not to endanger life
How do you think you would be able to prove that the person knew of or felt symptoms of the oncoming state before getting into the car or does that even matter?

Is being diabetic enough for you or a judge to say "you know you're diabetic, so anytime that you have a medical emergency that involves your condition you will be strictly liable, regardless of whether or not you had any indication it was going to happen."

[Mr. Security]

Is being diabetic enough for you or a judge to say "you know you're diabetic, so anytime that you have a medical emergency that involves your condition you will be strictly liable, regardless of whether or not you had any indication it was going to happen."

In this case, she admits that she was aware of her glucose problem before getting behind the wheel. We all use poor judgment and make mistakes from time-to-time. Fortunately, this one had a good outcome and she can learn from it.

[shyone08]

Thanks for still responding :)

Yes, it was a really bad mistake I made...but you've got to believe me when I say it's not happening again. I am really paranoid now since it happened. If I feel the slightest symptom then I'm not getting behind the wheel.

Thanks for still responding :)

[Charlie31]

You are the one that made the judjment error. You should have been cited for driving while impaired. When you operate a car or a plane you self certify that your physical condition is good enough to do it.
I would have cited you as a warning not to endanger life. Yours is your own business, but not the people that you may run into. They do not deserve you. Then it becomes public business. I do not care that it is a medical condition. You should not have been driving.
The law is clear on this one. The cause of your impairment is irrelevant.
The officer did what she was supposed to do, stop an impaired driver. And in this case, get help for you.
You still would have gone to jail here. Well, maybe not as the glucose brought you back. We have better things to do than babysit idiots.
You knew about your condition and chose to drive anyway.
There is no excuse for that.
You would not enjoy the talking to that I would have given you. Any back talk would send you straight to jail. Do not pass go.
I hope you learned your lesson.

Sheesh, glad I do NOT work in your area (with a medical condition)... Hopefully when my 10 year old son grows up and starts to drive, he won't have one of his seizures while driving, cause he will go to jail in WI! Lighten up a bit, bad judgement call, but no criminal intent here.

[Charlie31]

Thanks for still responding :)

Yes, it was a really bad mistake I made...but you've got to believe me when I say it's not happening again. I am really paranoid now since it happened. If I feel the slightest symptom then I'm not getting behind the wheel.

Thanks for still responding :)

Now you talking responsible! :) And, I further give you kudos for speaking kindly of the Officer doing her job, and taking a further step to recognize this fact with her boss. Many times, people do not take the time to relay their appreciation.

[shyone08]

thanks =) I just didn't want anyone thinking that I make it a habit to drive with low blood sugar because that is definately NOT the case :eek:

ok...I'll stop bothering ya'll now...thanks for all the responses...they are appreciated :)