An Indian-origin doctor who died in a car crash after working three long night shifts is believed to have fallen asleep behind the wheel just a couple of kilometres away from home, a British court has heard.
Ronak Patel, 33, a trainee anaesthetist from Ixworth village, Suffolk county, had been singing on the phone to his wife to help keep him awake, an inquest heard this week.
He had been working three long night shifts when his car hit a lorry in August last year, his inquest heard this week.
Patel is believed to have fallen asleep on the highway at Honington in Suffolk, about five kilometres from his home.
"The most plausible explanation for the collision was that Dr Patel fell asleep," local police accident investigator Mark Webb told the hearing.
The doctor was declared dead at the scene after he sustained a broken neck and other injuries.