This blog talks a lot about distracted drivers. The most common types of distracted driving involve driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, texting while driving, or talking on a handheld cell phone while behind the wheel. But there are other forces which may cause a person to be distracted while driving a vehicle. One of these is a driver being so distraught and/or depressed that he is planning to kill himself.
That unusual distraction played a role in a bizarre auto accident in North Las Vegas earlier this week. According to police, a Chrysler PT Cruiser was traveling north on Losee Road around 7am Monday morning. The car ran a red light at the intersection of the Las Vegas Beltway and struck a Toyota Prius. When Nevada Highway Patrol officers arrived on the scene, they found an injured man and woman in the Prius, as well as a man in the PT Cruiser… who was bleeding from a gunshot wound.
Police later determined that the PT Cruiser driver had been planning to kill himself in the desert, but then tried to shoot himself in the head after the collision occurred. The man survived and was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition. The occupants of the Prius were also transported to UMC with injuries that were non-life threatening.
If the driver of the PT Cruiser survives his injuries, not only will he have failed in his attempt to commit suicide; he may now face a personal injury lawsuit from one or both of the people who were hurt in the crash.