A teenager caused a three-car crash after he passed out from holding his breath while driving through a tunnel in Oregon on Sunday.
Daniel J. Calhon, 19, was behind the wheel of a Toyota Camry when he decided to hold his breath while driving through a tunnel on Highway 26, located west of Manning, Oregon, police told KGW.com.
Calhon fainted, lost control of the vehicle and collided head on with a Ford Explorer heading in the opposite direction. The Camry and SUV crashed into the tunnel walls before a GMC pickup truck slammed into the Camry, Oregon State Police Lieutenant Gregg Hastings told KGW.com.
Police shut down the tunnel for two hours after the crash that began when Calhon's car crossed the centerline into the eastbound lane.
There were no fatalities. The teenager has since been taken into custody.
The passengers of the SUV, 67-year-old Thomas Hatch Jr. and Candace Hatch, 61, were taken to St. Vincent's Hospital in Portland to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The passengers of the pickup truck were not injured, KGW.com reported
Calhon, of Washington state, and another passenger, 19-year-old Bradley Meyring, were also treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland.
Calhon is facing charges of reckless driving, three counts of recklessly endangering another person and fourth-degree assault, KOIN-TV reported. He is expected to appear in Washington County Circuit Court.
The teenage driver also has a record in Oregon and has a previous citation for reckless driving, reckless endangerment and assault, Hastings told KGW.com.
Holding one's breath in tunnels is sometimes practiced as a superstition or as a game, according to the Associated Press.
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