Police say driver in crash that killed 3, injured 10 lost control due to seizure

A driver who killed three people and injured 10 others in a traffic accident on Wednesday was having an epileptic seizure at the time, police in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, said on Saturday.

The 35-year-old driver, surnamed Xu, was detained by police after losing control of his black Mercedes SUV and running into a lane reserved for scooters and bicycles in the city's downtown area.

Xu and his 38-year-old wife, surnamed Wang, who was in the car when the accident happened, said he lost control of the vehicle after fainting and foaming with blood at the mouth, Changzhou's public security bureau said.

He was diagnosed with early stage uremia in 2017 and chronic renal failure in August last year. Eight months later, he was diagnosed with stage 5 chronic kidney disease, moderate anemia and a heart problem.

Police retrieved Xu's shirt, specked with blood, at the scene, and checked videos of the accident recorded by onlookers. They showed Xu having a suspected seizure in the car.

Medical experts consulted on the case said it was in line with an epileptic seizure, possibly caused by his illnesses.

Wang said she tried to wake her husband to stop the car when it began drifting out of its lane, but he failed to respond. Police who investigated surveillance videos along the road said the couple had not been arguing, fighting or behaving abnormally before the accident. Their relatives said they were not involved in any family conflicts or neighborhood disputes.

Xu, from Shuyang county, Jiangsu, moved to Changzhou in 2002 to work in vehicle repair and sales. He opened his own vehicle repair business in 2014 but switched to bodywork repair after getting sick last year.

His wife, also from Shuyang, is a supermarket saleswoman. Their son and daughter live in Changzhou, and their other relatives live and work in Shuyang.

Those injured in the accident were sent to three local hospitals. Five men and four women remain hospitalized in stable condition.

According to the authorities, there was no video camera installed in Xu's car. Video footage from surveillance cameras on the street showed his car door was opened about two and a half minutes after the accident began.

Police said Xu had been wearing slippers while driving.