In 2011, Dave West fell asleep while driving to work.
It was about 6:30 a.m. and West’s Dodge Caravan veered into the oncoming traffic as West drove the usual route to the Shenendehowa Central School District, where he worked in maintenance and repair for nearly 30 years.
In a head-on collision, West cracked six ribs, and his heart was sent into atrial fibrillation.
He was rushed to Ellis Hospital and eventually referred to various specialists, including a sleep expert after doctors discovered West fell asleep at the wheel as a result of sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing stops and starts during sleep.
During the most troubling minute of a sleep study, West’s breathing was interrupted 60 times – once every second.
After the accident, West, now 72, began using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which delivers constant air pressure to…
