Yesterday a young guy who works with my wife got the call, your wifes been in a bad accident. When he went the couple miles down the road she was dead. Roll over with no seatbelt, his two year old wasn't with her at the time. There are no words for this. This was in Fl. and when I first saw the post I thought.. well you know.
I'll add my sympathy and testimony. It's simplistic, but true: God put us in a world too hard to live in without faith. I've totaled two F150's in the last three years due to red light runners. First one knocked me out cold for about fifteen minutes, and the airbag blacked both eyes. I had seatbelt marks, but stayed inside and limped to work the next day. The second wasn't as serious, but I was still spinning like a top in the intersection.
I decided to stop by a local car lot after work, one that carries neat cars. I wandered around and shot the breeze with a salesman. It took maybe 20 minutes extra to get home that day. Hope Renee Brown of Leavenworth, KS decided she would feel better by doing some drugs. It worked, she felt no pain at all as she drove down the road. I slowed up at a stoplight, one car in front of me. Hope Renee Brown turned right onto the same street. I saw her coming up the street, and thought she was moving kind of fast. She made the first part of the turn, but was unable to complete it. I had nowhere to go. She just kept coming, I can remember looking at her face as she neared my toy truck. A blank stare was on her face. BAM! She hit me in the front just as I was rolling to a stop! I had hit the brakes hard as a reflex, that left a two foot black mark. When the drugged up gal hit me, the tire marks on the road took a sudden jog to the right, then backwards. The glancing blow tore the front wheel off my truck, flattened the fender to the hood, and pushed the driver's door back more than a little. I had my seatbelt on. I suffered torsional injury to my spine from the impact, and my right arm and leg were sore for weeks because of the strain they took when she hit me. My back will bother me off and on for the rest of my life. But the seatbelt kept me from getting worse injuries, and I'm around for the wife and kids. I learned what it feels like to be be an arthritic 90 year old, shuffling painfully around for some time. My medical expenses were not high enough, so I get no pain and suffering award, I got less than my truck was worth, but I maintained my life in better shape than if I hadn't belted up as I always do. Hope Renee Brown? She was not hurt at all. She claimed she was distracted by papers falling out of her sunvisor. She got off scott free, other than totaling her minivan. She had her belt on too. Wear the things!
In the November of my daughter's freshman year at college, I gave her a Chrysler LeBaron convertible. Thirtynine days later just as school let out for Christmas break, a Domino's Pizza delivery driver broadsided her as she was making a left turn into a driveway. Because he was going too fast to stop and she was turning from the traffic lane instead of the left turn refuge, his car skidded into the left turn refuge just as her car was full into her turn and almost 90 degrees to him. It probably didn't help that it was already dark and he had forgotten to turn his headlights back on after making a delivery. He shoved the center of her driver's door in 22 1/2", the door sill 10 1/2", the cowl 4 1/2", sprung the p***enger door open, and folded her seat bottom into an L shape with her wedged into the console. Because he hit her from the side, the air bag never deployed. The paramedics had to cut her seatbelts to get her out. All this caused her spine to be broken in 3 places, her pelvis in 6, knocked her out, gave me 6 very anxious days at bedside in the ICU, and destroyed a promising college basketball career . My guess is if she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt, she would have been thrown out the p***enger door and run over with far more disasterous results. Luckily, the resilence of youth allowed her to hobble off to school the next term on crutches. The considerable pain she indured while she stood on those crutches in the back of her cl***rooms attending cl***es determined not to miss any school induced me to provide a Mustang convertible when she resumed driving the following April. This spring she is finishing her last term and plans to go to law school after graduation, she still plays basketball occasionally. My heart goes out to all those parents not so fortunate.
I lost a 21 year old son to an auto accident. He was not wearing a seat belt. These things do save lives regardless what the na sayers say. Absolutely nothing in this world has or ever will hurt me that bad, Please wear them. nuff said on my end too, Every time I hear this **** a piece of me dies.
i've always been a big fan of seat belts. never had a problem wearing mine. kinda feel wierd if i don't. i did'nt intend to install them in my "old" cars but i just might seriously concider it now.
What's not traditional about seat belts, we had them in 53-54 in our street cars also had to have them when I run the drags in 55. It was a good idea then why not know.
This is a good wake up call for alot of people. In the local paper here it told of an accident that happened last Sunday on Hwy. 90 just north of Kartchner Caverns State Park at 6:55 am.The road was icey and the 32 year old mom was driving her Tahoe "to fast for the existing conditions and she lost control and rolled it at MP 296". She lived because she had her seat belt on. HOWEVER - her 7 year old son was not belted in and was dead at the scene. Why was the boy not belted in? Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy
i get PIST when i see kids bouncing around inside a care going down the road with no belts on and the parent (or whoever the driver happens to be) not seeming to give a **** at all. i've seen people driving down the road with more kids than the car had seats all jumpin around like it was ****in Romper Room in there. personaly i think if your under 18 you should HAVE to wear your belt like it or not. after 18 (or even 21, i don't care) you should be aloud to do what you want. personaly i'd SUGGEST wearing your belt all the time no matter your age. kids should'nt be given that option though. for God's sake buckle your damn kids up!!
None of my hotrods has ever had a seatbelt. My 40 will not turn a wheel until it has seatbelts and shoulder harnesses. 3 inchers too.
I'm proud to say that at 14 that i buckle up!!! I've never had first hand experience, but we had a car wrap around a electric post in front of our old house a few years back. Not only wear your seatbelts and drive safe, but DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!! My thoughts and prayers will be going your way.... Take-care, and God Bless!!! Troy.
Slightly OT but things to consider.... I have been to alot of accidents as have other firefighters and paramedics from the HAMB and have seen some unfortunate deaths that could be avoided. If you need to carry something in your truck bed always face it away from the occupants in the cab if possible. Even lumber can be driven thru your cab if carried lengthwise in your bed. I have even seen a fibergl*** truck bed cover driven into the cab and kill the driver. Please impress on your children not to ride in truck beds. And please, please, please always use a baby seat when transporting your baby. This thread is a great opportunity for all of us to remind ourselves to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Stay safe, Aloha rustfarmer
There easy to install, I got them on all my cars especially since my four year old boy always rides with me. You aint going to lose your coolness if you got seat belts **** what everybody else thinks, think of your family and friends.
Great thread! I never wore a seatbelt until I was about 18 years old, a girl I was dating was concerned about my wreckless behavior and convinced me to start wearing one. I grew up riding in the back of pickup trucks occasionally, never wearing seatbelts, driving fast, etc. Looking back, I have been extremely lucky as I have been in a few accidents when I was a youth with no seatbelt on and somehow been o.k. The older I get the easier it is to see that its foolish to take the risk of being mamed or killed, there are a lot of bad drivers out there, and distractions of modern technology (cell phones and nice stereos). Someone said it well earlier in this thread, why don't you run as fast as you can into that wall over there. I know that would be nothing like a 40 mph impact into a tree, 40 in a car doesn't even feel fast. Bucle Up!
Last year my buddy called me on the phone - he was ALL SHOOK UP!! Hi s wife went to go visit his daughter and they went off for an afternoon of shopping. While driving on the freeway a Semi Driver fell asleep and hit their minivan HARD on the driver's rear corner throwing the Minivan into an instant spin where it quickly got worse and proceeded to barrel roll 5 or 6 times- probably around 60 miles an hour. When the paramedics arrived they had but one question on their minds - how many were dead as they knew there would be no survivors - experience. The minivan was a wreck - every piece of gl*** gone, every panel destroyed, front wheel and hub ripped off, roof partially caved in - it was devastating. Only one good thing happened that day - the paramedics were WRONG - they ALL LIVED and basically walked away. This was my buddy's WIFE, DAUGHTER and HER THREE small children. Sure they were hospitalized (for observation) for a day but other than being very sore there weren't even any injuries. The troopers told my buddy this was the worst wreck they had seen where no one was hurt - they COULDN'T believe it. They ALL had their seat belts on too! My buddy was shook up for weeks - wrestling with the realization that he ALMOST lost his ENTIRE FAMILY in an instant. So here's another thought - when we're reading opinions on the HAMB about how to build our cars - think which advice is TRUELY in YOUR best interest - does it REALLY make sense to run with no front brakes - no seatbelts!!!! I too am guilty - I have drivin' a car or two without belts - don't get me wrong - I do believe in them, but when things are CLOSE to being road ready we tend to say what the heck - jump in a go for a cruise. Then all the sudden we are tweakin' carbs - adjusting the timing -becoming so side tracked that we tend to forget that we promised ourselves we'd get to that safety stuff NEXT. That's why it's a good idea to design our cars with that stuff from the get go not as an afterthought - it's just easier to incorporate that way. That's ALSO why threads like this are so valuable - it REMINDS us how fragile life is and begs us to re-evaluate our rides - seat belts are good and if TRADITION is what you want then just go find some killer AIRCRAFT belts and install those!!!!! Great thread - so sorry to hear it though, but maybe it'll do some good.
my pickup will get seat belts as soon as i get the cash for it (but before i drive it much). I was hit on the interstate and rolled my other truck. Both my dad and i were buckled up and walked away, i had a dislocated shoulder from bracing against the door. But i am convinced i would have at the vary least lost my left arm had it not been for the seatbelt. So yeah buckle up, its just a good call...
The importance of headrests and headrest position is often overlooked. I was rear-ended in my daily driver P/U in November of '04, the impact was enough that my headrest broke through the back window (regular cab). The scariest part was that a month before the wreck, I decided that a man of my height (6'3") should really have the headrest up instead of down in the cooler-looking factory position. If it weren't for that decision, my head/neck would have pivoted around the headrest and my noggin would have broken the gl*** instead. Now the headrest gets checked every time I get in the truck, right after I hear the click.
Quick Tech Speak. Your body gets approx a 10g force on it in a crash so you effectively weigh 10 times as much. 10 x your body weight is about as much as a small block 32 roadster! that means you should be able to pick up your whole hotrod on the seatbelt mounts! Any damage(frey or fade) to a seatbelt webbing will cause it to tear in a crash so replace any damaged webbings! Racecar drivers have been known to walk away from crashes of 130g forces, so you can imagine the saftey design that has gone into their cars!
I feel your pain, and I will pray for your straight to get throw this. A very close friend Ray's daughter was killed 2-30-06 she was driving stupid and she was not wearing her seat belt she was 18 years old. It was so sad to see this man have to bury his only child. Again I will pray for you and your family. To all, please drive safe and make sure you car has all safety equipment like seat belts, neutral safety switch, fire extinguisher, breaks, extra. before the cruise season starts I have to fix a few things to make my car roadworthy. I should have done it last year.
Here's some info: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74885 Sorry to hear of your loss. ~Marc
well, i've read all replies. nothing will bring courtney back. BUT, it looks like a couple of you mentioned a desire to have seatbelts in your hot rod where you didn't have that desire before. if that happens then this thread will have been worth it. ESPECIALLY if one of you ever has a crash in said rod. thanx for listening to what i originally said and also the comments others added. thanx for those comments, too.
I still have a mom and a best friend thanks to seatbelts. On the 401 here in ontario in the middle of winter, a transport truck driver sideswiped my mother and sent her flying into the median at 75mph in the middle of winter. She hit the heavy snow and the front dug in and the truck flipped nose over tail 13 times. It then barrel rolled another 7 times. She traveled nearly 800 feet flipping the car before it came to rest facing the wrong way, and still running. The roof was crushed down the the roll bar and had gr*** in all the seams. The box completely flattened, the rear axle was gone, one of the front wheels was gone, and the frame was twisted about 30 degrees between box and cab, and another 20 between the cab and front bumper. Mom climbed out the back window and called dad, and then the police. This happened at 7pm at night on clean dry roads, she was hit by the truck, not the trailer, as she p***ed it. The guy who hit her never stopped. She was uninjured except for a 2" wide bruise accross her chest. The rollbar was one that I made that was actually welded to the frame. It was twisted and deformed and the 1 3/4" 0.134 wall DOM mild steel tubing was smashed FLAT on the top. It was less than in inch from bottom to top. I hate to imaging what would have happened if she had no seatbelt on. Same for my best friend. Just this last winter on the 400 highway north of toronto in slippery conditions he had a bad crash in his 83' Cougar. A big SUV came accross 4 lanes in the bad weather and hit him hard on the p***enger rear quarter (he was in the fast lane and the SUV was just off the on ramp) and spun him hard into the concrete barrier at about 50 mph. The car completely crushed in the back to the ends of the subframe connectors (2"x2" box steel) and rode up the barrier and ended up on its drivers side before coming back down onto its wheels. There was a trail of the stuff that was in the car from where it when onto its side. He had his seatbelt on luckily. Otherwise all that stuff would have been joined by him. Ever see a nitrous bottle with a 4" deep dent in it? The one we pulled from the rear of his car had one. Good thing it was empty.
When I started driving I wasn't allowed to move the car before my seat belt was buckled. Before long it was second nature. I'll even buckle up when moving the car a few hundred feet because it's habit and because it "feels wrong" not having it on. Can't tell you how many times I probably maintained control of a car just because I could concentrate on driving instead of keeping my rear in the seat. When I was allowed to drive on my own friends would watch me buckle up then say something smart-***ed like "if you don't trust your driving neither do I, I'll put mine on too". My answer was always "I trust my driving, I don't know if I can trust that other guy." Must've made sense, several of my friends immediately got into the habit themselves. This is one of the few subjects where I'm apparently just as smart as my wife. Years ago she was part of the letter writing campaign that helped get a baby seat law p***ed in Iowa. Some people get hard-headed about this stuff and claim some sort of infringement on their personal freedom. I say screw 'em, their personal freedom stops when my tax dollars support them in a paralyzed or vegetative state for the rest of their natural lives. At that point their stupidity infringes upon my personal freedom. Same goes for motorcycle helmet laws.
courtney died 6 months ago last week. there might be someone out there who hasn't read this thread. this bump is for that person or those persons. please read this entire message and think about it.
Didn't see this the first time around. My condolences. My girlfriend works in a hospital, she said you can tell right away when someone was wearing their seatbelt. Also when they had a car with airbags. Most people that come in that wasn't wearing a belt, won't be leaving the hospital. Most that wear a belt are fine after a week or so, most with airbags leave that day or the following. She used to not wear belts, but after working there, it made a believer out of her.
The Jalopy Journal
