A New Jersey driver crashed into a pole after passing out from wearing an N95 mask for hours.
The unidentified person was driving in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, Thursday when their red vehicle crashed head-on into the pole.
‘The LPPD responded to a lone occupant single car motor vehicle crash yesterday,’ the Lincoln Park Police Department wrote on Facebook. ‘The crash is believed to have resulted from the driver wearing an N95 mask for several hours and subsequently passing out behind the wheel due to insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide intake.’
The driver was taken to a hospital where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries and is expected to be okay.
‘While we don’t know [the cause] with 100% certainty, we do know that the driver had been wearing an N95 mask inside the vehicle for several hours and ultimately passed out while operating the vehicle,’ the department added.
The department offered guidelines for safely protecting yourself from the coronavirus, which has ravaged the state of New Jersey and neighboring New York.
‘Motorists and the public alike are reminded that while masks should be used in public settings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, they are not necessary outdoors when social distancing can be maintained, and especially not necessary when driving a vehicle with no additional occupants,’ the department said on Facebook.
