Man runs over woman in parking lot, blames his behavior on Whole30 diet
He hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch that day
He hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch that day
He hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch that day
In September 2017, an Oregon woman was loading groceries into her car in a Safeway parking lot when a man ran her over with his car, according to . Susan Matthies, 68, was transported to a local hospital, where she died, reports. Now, the deceased woman's estate has filed a $3.56 million lawsuit against Robert Morgan, the driver that struck Matthies.
According to the (per Oregon Live), Morgan had not eaten breakfast or lunch that day and was feeling "nauseous and lightheaded" while observing the Whole30 diet. Morgan continued to drive despite not feeling well. He drove his car into Matthies' vehicle and then ran her over.
The suit claims that Matthies' death resulted from Morgan's failure to "maintain proper control of his vehicle," failure to "keep and maintain a proper lookout," driving too fast and while distracted, failure to obey traffic laws and continuing to drive after experiencing health issues "when he knew or should have known doing so would present a risk to people on the roadway."
The Whole30 diet encourages 30 days of no added sugars, grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol and baked goods. In a statement to People, Whole30 co-founder Melissa Hartwig Urban said, "Our deepest sympathies go out to the Matthies family. Whole30 has always maintained the importance of eating whenever participants feel hungry and to avoid skipping meals."
An attorney representing Matthies' estate told People that aggressive diets can be potentially dangerous not just to the person on the diet, but others around them, as well. "The world lost a wonderful woman, in part, due to a diet. Please talk to a doctor before stating a diet."
According to Oregon Live, Morgan didn't face criminal charges in the crash — evidence did not indicate that he was intoxicated or criminally negligent.