A Sobering Reminder To Wear Your Seat Belts

Mean Green 93-98 · March 23, 2010

I just received this from my cousin.

Last Friday evening, I was in a car wreck. A young man, who was apparently drinking, was driving on the wrong side of the road on a 4 lane road. I was a rear seat passenger in a 1998 Buick Riviera. We hit head on with both vehicles going 65 to 70 miles per hour.

A side not here --- as many of you know, I started to work for the Telephone Company in July of 1970. At that time, they told me it was a condition of employee that I wear a seat belt at all times. I figured that I had to do it when I wasn't working, too, in order to form a good habit. So, I have worn a seat belt in all cars I've been in since that time - whether I was in the front seat or the rear. A few exceptions involved vehicles that were too old to have seat belts installed. Well, Friday night, for some strange reason, I did not buckle up.

I have no recollection of the accident. I'm told that the wrong way driver hit a car in front of us with a glancing blow and then hit us head on. We careened into the ditch, another car hit the wrong way driver and then a 5th hit both of those. The highway was shut down for 2 hours.

I apparently flew into the front seat, took out the rear view mirror with my head and then flew back into the back seat. When we got stopped, my friends in the front seats said that I couldn't breath - I was drowning in my own blood - just gurgling. As they were trying to get me in some position to breath, the door was ripped open by an off duty EMT who just happened to be driving by. He told Stewart to get out and he climbed into the back seat with me. I recall at probably this point some angel in the seat with me with his arms around me. Stewart and Lana both maintain that he saved my life. They were sure I was dying. The next memory I have is being loaded into an ambulance in the cold rain. The next memory - I was in the Emergency Room with doctors, nurses, my oldest daughter and her husband, the neighbors who lost a daughter to murder a few years ago, and my mother. 25 stitches in my head, several CT scans, Xrays, etc, and then off to the ICU. They wanted to send me to Wichita at that point but the helicopters weren't flying in the weather that had deteriorated to blowing snow, etc. Likewise, they didn't think the ambulance could make the trip that night. The next day they took me to a Wichita hospital by ambulance for consultations and reconstructing my face and my compressed disk in my lower back.

Here my luck changed - just as it had the night of the wreck when the off duty EMT intervened. First, 30 or so people converged on me to determine the extent of my injuries. More CAT Scans and Xrays. Long story short, I'm in a back brace for about 3 months to allow the compressed disk to heal itself. My face will be OK once the swelling goes down. I do have three fractures in my left cheek, an orbital fracture in my left eye socket. The expert on this feels that since everything is in the proper place, they'll just let in go and it will heal just as well as if he tried to fix it. They also feel the back will heal with time. And, if it doesn't, there is some sort of balloon procedure they would try.

I feel very lucky - as a matter of fact, of the 5 cars and 10 or so people, I got the worst of it. I did something stupid - not wearing a seat belt. I can assure you that will never happen again. I'm ashamed and embarrassed that it happened once. I'll pay for at least three months for that oversight.

Remember - wear your seat belts!

MeanGreenTexan · March 23, 2010

Wow. Something so simple... It slips my mind sometimes too if I'm riding in the backseat. Never when I'm driving though!

Buckle up Mean Green Fans!

KRAM1 · March 24, 2010

I believe it is now a law in the state of Texas that ALL passengers...front or back seat...are required to wear a seat belt. I think it took effect in September of something like that. I am sure someone can/will correct me if I am wrong, but I think it is now a law in Texas.

FireFightnJoey · March 24, 2010

Car Crash

It demonstrates extreme case. 4 passengers, 2 front and 2 back. One in the back was not wearing a seat belt. They were waiting to turn and a car hit them head on at high rate of speed. The person not wearing a seat belt flew through the car as it bounced into differnt positions and onto its side. He was a projectile and basically killed everyone in the car as he hit them. Point is, not wearing a seatbelt is as dangerous for those others in the car and not just yourself.

We hit head on with both vehicles going 65 to 70 miles per hour.

I'm glad your friend is alive. I have been to several of these and it is a miracle that the front two passengers made it out without severe injuries less alone their lives.

FirefightnRick · March 25, 2010

Here you go. This is why we end up looking all over the place for people and parts after one of these accidents occur. It never ceases to amaze me how they get into those strange positions, but this video just about explains it. Notice where his head finally comes to rest?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltO38SQdsa8

I'm glad your cousin is going to be ok 93-98.

By the way, our department lost one of our own in February.

David Lee "Dave" Eaves (1969 - 2010)

He was ejected out of a truck in a rollover west of Amarillo on the way to a ski trip. He was sitting in the front passenger seat and unbuckled to reach to the back to get his laptop when they hit a patch of ice and lost control. The driver was ok because he was in his belt. The third guy in the back seat, also not wearing his belt and sleeping, was ejected as well but came away with nothing but a severe leg puncture. David, the one who died, was still under the truck but the other two managed to get him out. He told them he was really hurt bad, then soon lost consciousness. It was 2 a.m. and all the contents of the truck were scattered everywhere and they couldn't find a cell phone because there was no light at all and had to wait 30 minutes until the next car came by. By then David had bled out. It took another 30 minutes for the ambulance to reach them and they decided to transport the one with the puncture wound and left the driver back with David's body until investigators could arrive. That had to have been a very strange situation no doubt. I haven't talked to the other two since the funeral. David was a great FF and a hell of a guitarist. I have one of his CD's on the ipod. We will surely miss him.

Rick

Edited March 25, 2010 by FirefightnRick