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Driver of bus that crashed suffered cerebral infarction two months ago

10 Comments

The 61-year-old driver of a tour bus that crashed on the Tohoku Expressway early Thursday morning, suffered a cerebral infarction two months ago, it has been learned.

The driver, Susumu Tada, works for the Cruising World bus operator. He was driving a bus from Tokyo Disneyland to Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture when he ran into the back of a truck near the city of Shiroishi in Miyagi Prefecture just after 4 a.m., NTV reported. After hitting the truck, the bus slammed into a central divider on the highway, injuring the driver and 35 passengers, police said.

Police quoted the driver as saying that he suffered a cerebral infarction two months ago and that he was on medication. He also said that his doctor had urged him to stop driving, NTV reported. However, the driver said he did not have a seizure on Thursday morning. He said he misjudged the distance between his bus and the truck in front of him because he was sleepy, NTV reported.

Meanwhile, the driver's employer said he was not aware of his medical condition, Sankei Shimbun reported. He said that a recent medical checkup of Tada showed nothing out of the ordinary.

The issue of bus drivers' health has come under the spotlight since April when a bus crashed in Gunma Prefecture, killing seven passengers. The driver of that bus dozed off at the wheel while taking a bus full of tourists from Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, to Tokyo Disneyland.

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10 Comments
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redsacAUG. 03, 2012 - 08:57AM JST Unified medical records also lacking. Your data only exists with the doctors you visit and not stored centrally. If you visit a new doctor, they wont know your history so thats how he cleared the checkup without his company knowing. Govn't needs to step up

I totally agree. Especially here in Tokyo, you don't have a choice which ER to use. I have actually been refused at an ER when I went there with symptoms of a Stroke, on. Saturday afternoon. Apparently this (big) hospital was closed on weekends however the ER was open. I believe that there are too too many hopsitals in Tokyo.

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Sorry, but a cerebral infarction is a mild stroke and this loon should have no where near a vehicle of any kind, better less a bus load of tourists. Seriously, what is wrong these bus drivers. They have the lives of up to 50 people in their hands and they don't give a fat rat's! This joker should/would have had nursing care insurance and should not have been behind the wheel. I will never take a long distance bus in Japan, nor will I let my kids. It is the Shinkansen or stay home! Interstate bus drivers in Oz have two hour shifts and relief drivers. They are also aware of the responsibilty of driving 50 people long distances, but in Japan they one driver for an 800k haul, which could take 12 bloody hours. They are driving a 20t missile! Wake up to yourselves!

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Looks like there might be a curse involving buses and Disneyland.

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I think the 2 driver regulation is for trips that exceed 400 kms. This bus was scheduled just under that at 380 kms or so.

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I since the big crash a few months back where a lot of kids died, they said they would implement 2 drivers on long trips??

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@hatsoff : I couldn't agree more... Take someone's means of living away and we get more suicides... While he obviously should not have been driving, at his age he probably knew he wouldn't be finding a new job. Who knows ? He may even have been looking for one.

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"He said he misjudged the distance between his bus and the truck in front of him because he was sleepy, NTV reported."

Would this have anything to do with the medication?

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Unified medical records also lacking. Your data only exists with the doctors you visit and not stored centrally. If you visit a new doctor, they wont know your history so thats how he cleared the checkup without his company knowing. Govn't needs to step up

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Urging" someone who drives a bus to make a living to suddenly stop driving is clearly not going to be effective. For safety's sake, there needs to be a more clearly defined law here. If there is a risk to the person or the public then the driver should be made to stop driving and access the safety net that is available in the form of social security payments (unless he can be moved to an office job within the company). Without this, who is going to give up their source of income voluntarily?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

He also said that his doctor had urged him to stop driving

Bullox! Doctors should have the right to BAN such people from driving or at least report to proper authorities esp if the person is in the transportation/heavy industries that could put ppl's lives at risk.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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