Adacia Chambers, Stillwater Parade Crash Suspect, Had A Diabetes Blackout? Studies Show Hypoglycemia Affects Driving

The lawyer for Adacia Chambers, the Stillwater parade crash suspect, now says the crash may have been triggered by a diabetic episode. The 25-year-old woman says she only remembers blacking out before being yanked out of the vehicle by other people in the Stillwater homecoming parade. The Stillwater Police Department is still waiting on the blood tests for drugs and alcohol, but if these allegations are true it may mean the accident was a horrible tragedy, not murder by a drunken driver.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, videos of the Oklahoma homecoming parade crash show that Adacia Chambers did not brake as she ran into the crowds. Chambers allegedly drove her Hyundai Elantra into a parked police motorcycle before her vehicle went barreling into people, sending bodies flying into the air.

Payne County District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas has stated that the Stillwater parade crash suspect is being held in jail on four charges of second-degree murder. Although Chambers was initially arrested and detained on suspicion of driving under the influence, Thomas says they are currently focusing on the possibility of drugs, but not alcohol.

Employees at Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, a chain eatery where Chambers worked, believe she may have been mentally exhausted, since she worked both Friday night and then Saturday morning before being sent home early. Coworkers of the parade crash suspect say she looked like she was on drugs, and her supervisor sent her home.

Here she is, Adacia Chambers, the girl who drove through the OSU homecoming parade, killing 3 and injuring many more pic.twitter.com/jRRSxGhgEV

— Caleb Barkocy (@c_barkocy) October 24, 2015

But Adacia Chambers’ father, Floyd Chambers, says he doubted that his daughter was drunk driving, and claims she would not have purposefully tried to hurt anyone.

“Everyone across the country is talking about it,” said Mr. Chambers. “I can’t figure this out. This is not the person that’s my daughter… I can’t imagine alcohol being involved. She is not an alcoholic that I’m aware of. This is just not who she is. They’re going to paint her into a horrible person but this is not (her).”

Tony Coleman, Chambers’ lawyer, is claiming that she may be suffering from a mental illness, and the father says Adacia often went days without sleeping. The attorney is certain she was not drunk driving, although he is waiting on the blood tests before ruling out drugs.

“I have deep concerns about her competency at this point. I’m not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I can tell you she’s suffering from mental illness,” he said.

The other major factor may be Adacia Chambers’ diabetes. Both the boyfriend and father of the Stillwater parade crash suspect claim she is diabetic, but she was not being treated for her health conditions.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Chambers told the lawyer that she only “remembers the end” of the Stillwater homecoming parade.

“There’s a very very dark area there that’s hard for her to recall,” her lawyer said. “There was a period there, for lack of better terms, she could have blacked out.”

Diabetes And Driving

In the past, diabetic drivers have been arrested after being found disoriented and confused while behind a wheel. In one case from 2010, a man was seemingly intoxicated and uncooperative, and when police arrested him he broke his wrist, which happened to have a bracelet identifying him as diabetic. The incident led to a civil rights lawsuit.

According to the New York Times, the major issue with diabetes and driving is the potential for hypoglycemia, or a sudden case of low blood sugar, where a driver can experience “confusion, delayed reaction, visual disturbances or loss of consciousness. Even in the absence of low blood sugar, people with diabetes may have impaired vision or nerve function in the feet, which can affect driving.”

Does this mean the Stillwater parade crash suspect should have recognized the warning signs and stopped driving? Dr. Daniel Lorber, director of endocrinology at New York Hospital Queens, says most people will stop driving if they feel the symptoms of hypoglycemia, but sometimes the effects can leave a driver incapable of making rational decisions.

“If it drops further, then you get into some severe thinking and judgment issues, and that’s what we’re concerned about,” he said. “You could pass out or have a seizure.”

Due to this issue, diabetes studies show that drivers with diabetes are 12 percent to 19 percent more likely than other drivers to have a car accident.

Victims Of The Oklahoma Homecoming Parade Crash

Three adults were killed in the car crash, in addition to a 2-year-old boy. The City of Stillwater has named the victims as Nakita Prabhakar, 23, from Edmond, Oklahoma; and Bonnie Jean Stone and Marvin Lyle Stone, both 65, from Stillwater. Unfortunately, 17 people remained hospitalized Sunday, including five adults listed in critical condition.

[Image via Stillwater Police Department]