Man Disoriented, Sweating Profusely before Toppling Telephone Pole with Car

A man apparently feeling the effects of low blood sugar crashed his car into a pole, not long after his passenger offered to take over the driving, police said.

On Jan. 3 at 12:22 p.m. South Whitehall Police report Barry Gerstenberg, 53, of Allentown was driving north on Cedar Crest Boulevard when he left the roadway near the intersection of Pennsylvania Street and hit a telephone pole.

His brother-in-law, Dennis Schwartz, was a passenger in the car shortly before the crash. He said Gerstenberg was disoriented and sweating profusely, so he told him to pull over so he could drive. 

Gerstenberg pulled over but when Schwartz got out of the car to walk around and take the wheel, Gerstenberg drove off and left Schwartz standing in the road. A witness reports Gerstenberg then ran a red light before hitting the pole.

When police arrived at the accident scene, they found Gerstenberg in the car and the telephone pole in the roadway. Police reported all he could say was "I don't know." 

Gerstenberg was transported by Cetronia Ambulance Corps to Lehigh Valley Hospital, and police learned later that he suffered at broken rib and hip due to the crash. The police report says Gerstenberg's disorientation was caused by low blood sugar due to diabetes.