Quote:
Originally Posted by Quietpi
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I have, however, had people (read "idiots") tell me, "boy, I'm glad I wasn't wearing my seatbelt, or I could have ended up upside down!" They say this while I'm looking at the "starred" windshield. This from the ones who could still talk, if not think. 
Maybe we're a little off-topic here, but maybe it will save a life. |
I witnessed an accident about an hour north of Barstow on I-15 on our way to Wyoming for vacation. The elderly gentleman driving the car just missed the road as it turned, the car flew off the road and rolled down the hill several times before resting back on its wheels. Knowing help was probably hour away and they probably needed help right now, we pulled over. The man driving the car had a small scratch above his eye and was talking coherently to us. He was wearing his seatbelt. His wife had been sleeping in the front seat and had removed her belt to get more comfortable. She was thrown through the windshield and into a rock. She was unconscious with a bad head wound and numerous other injuries. My mom (a former med tech) and I (a lifeguard) administered first aid as best we could, addressing the injuries we could get to without disturbing her spine, and my dad and brother kept the old guy sitting in the car in case he had spinal injuries we couldn't see. The ambulance rolled up about an hour later and put a bandaid on his forehead. A few minutes later, a helicopter showed up and airlifted her away.
I have no idea what happened to them after that, but that illustration of a single accident where one person was belted and the other wasn't and the extreme differences in their injuries has stayed with me for around ten years now...