2 injured after man falls asleep at wheel, flips car on Orange County road: FHP

Stream FOX 35 News:

OCOEE, Fla. - Two people were injured in a car accident involving a man who fell asleep at the wheel, according to Florida Highway Patrol. 

The incident happened shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday on State Road 429 in Ocoee. A man from Apopka was driving northbound on SR-429 approaching Plant Street Road in a Toyota 4Runner when it drifted off the road and into the outside shoulder, FHP said. That's when the 37-year-old man struck a crash cushion and subsequently overturned onto its roof and entered the inside lane. 

Another car, an Infinity QX60, was traveling on the same road when the 4Runner entered its lane, causing the front of the car to hit the right side of the 4Runner, FHP said. 

The driver of the 4Runner told officials he fell asleep at the wheel, which is why he drifted off the road and caused the crash, according to the crash report. He was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, while the other driver suffered minor injuries. 

The crash is still under investigation. 

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Safety tips: Avoid falling asleep at the wheel

Florida Highway Patrol said not to drive when you're tired. It's risky because fatigue can:

• Slow down your thought process and reaction time;
• Affect your judgment and vision;
• Impair your sense and abilities; and
• Cause micro-sleeping ("nodding off") or falling completely asleep.

Additionally, the two main causes of drowsy driving are lack of quality/quantity of sleep and driving at times of the day when you'd normally be sleeping. 

Click here for more information about FHP's Drowsy Driving Prevention campaign.