This mornings newspaper contained a small article on page 9A, which I thought pretty much buried it except for readers like myself who look at EVERY SINGLE article in the paper. Whether or not I read an article is something I determine after reading the headline, or the first few lines. This article's headline was: Indiana crash kills seven who were on their way to a funeral. Are we so blase that the sudden and horrific death of seven people deserves a mere mention, and then, only on page 9A?
Two things stand out in the article, without referring to who, what and where, but as to HOW. First, there were 10 people in a 7 passenger mini-van. Second, none of them, including an infant were wearing a seatbelt. The infant was in a car seat, but was not buckled in. Apparently, this was one of those almost unavoidable crashes as a deer ran in front of the van, it braked and hit it anyway, and then was struck from behind by a semi-trailer truck. Ten of them and no seat belts. Did they think they were invincible?
Just exactly when are people going to learn to put on their doggone safety belts? (I'd use stronger language, but my grandchildren read this article.) In my early life I was a Naval Hospital Corpsman, a medic, if you will, and the forerunner to today's paramedics. I'm here to tell you I never, ever removed a dead body from a seat belt, but I scraped up a few that didn't have their belt on. For all you independent minded people who are arguing it's your God Given right to ignore that seat belt, just think of that cute little child in the back seat who you are about to deprive of a parent because you have the ability to flout the law and also teach the little person in the back seat to do as you do, not as you say. Then they will grow up (because you put them in a seat belt) to flout the law themselves. "My old man never wore his seat belt and died at the age of 91, so I don't need to wear one either." They can write that famous quote on your tombstone at the ripe old age of 20. Just had an acquaintance's best friend lose a 20 year old son that way; he didn't have his belt on, his two companions did, during a rollover. They attended his memorial service. His parents said he always wore it, his friends said he never wore it.
Probably one of the most memorable accidents that brings this home to me was the young 4 year old boy who was injured because he wouldn't sit down in the front seat. He "didn't want to" and it was easier to give him his way instead of forcing the issue. When his mother slammed the 1962 Corvair to a stop, for whatever reason, he fell forward onto the little 12 inch gear shift, which had a cute little plastic knob on top, and it entered near the right shoulder blade, next to the neck, in that little hollow we all have and didn't quite exit from his back; you could see the ivory covered knob as it protruded almost through his back stretching the skin so much you could see through it. They had to cut it off while he was suspended on it, upside down, and bring him to the hospital that way. Unfortunately that was after it had severed his spinal cord between the 2nd and 3rd cervical vertebrae, turning him into instant quadriplegic. He could still breathe, so that was in his favor, but I will never forget this scared little boy who didn't know his dad's last name, mom was unconscious, and there wasn't enough information in her purse to find daddy for about 4 hours. There was a Navy housing sticker on the windshield, and that's how daddy was finally located. However, in the meantime, I had to hold onto this frightened little boy's hand and tell him to hang on. I was the Corpsman in charge of the emergency room that day and I will always remember him struggling for breath and being so very frightened. He wasn't in pain, as he had lost all feeling, he was however, very bewildered and lost. All because Mommy thought it was easier to let him stand up, rather than sit down, as we found out later.
There will be those who read this article and when they get in the car the very next time will not put on their seat belt. Those people are idiots. I can't set that straight. I'd say it was part of the grand plan to remove these people from society, but unfortunately, they usually breed before they are removed, so their progeny continue the same idiotic trend. Again, I'd use stronger language and tell you how I really feel but, once again, my grandchildren may be reading this. You can't force people to use their seat belts. Remember when cars couldn't start if you didn't have your seat belt fastened? I knew one guy who figured out how to disconnect it the day after he got his new car home. I went to his funeral, too. His wife, who had her seat belt on survived. Interestingly enough, the day she got out of the hospital, she went to a party celebrating that very fact, had too much to drink, and died in a head-on collision on the way home from the party. Too drunk to put her seat belt on, but not too drunk to drive. Talk about irony.
The only people who can set this straight are those who currently aren't using their seat belt, and start using one, every time. I won't start my car until everyone in the car puts theirs on. If we have more people than belts, they don't go. If they don't want to ride with me, fine, no problem. And when I get in their cars, I put one on, and if they don't, I can't force 'em. But every time, I'm afraid I will be like the two young men mentioned earlier. I will make it to their funeral and, unfortunately, so will they. Except they will be the guest of honor. And I can't set that straight, either.
Two things stand out in the article, without referring to who, what and where, but as to HOW. First, there were 10 people in a 7 passenger mini-van. Second, none of them, including an infant were wearing a seatbelt. The infant was in a car seat, but was not buckled in. Apparently, this was one of those almost unavoidable crashes as a deer ran in front of the van, it braked and hit it anyway, and then was struck from behind by a semi-trailer truck. Ten of them and no seat belts. Did they think they were invincible?
Just exactly when are people going to learn to put on their doggone safety belts? (I'd use stronger language, but my grandchildren read this article.) In my early life I was a Naval Hospital Corpsman, a medic, if you will, and the forerunner to today's paramedics. I'm here to tell you I never, ever removed a dead body from a seat belt, but I scraped up a few that didn't have their belt on. For all you independent minded people who are arguing it's your God Given right to ignore that seat belt, just think of that cute little child in the back seat who you are about to deprive of a parent because you have the ability to flout the law and also teach the little person in the back seat to do as you do, not as you say. Then they will grow up (because you put them in a seat belt) to flout the law themselves. "My old man never wore his seat belt and died at the age of 91, so I don't need to wear one either." They can write that famous quote on your tombstone at the ripe old age of 20. Just had an acquaintance's best friend lose a 20 year old son that way; he didn't have his belt on, his two companions did, during a rollover. They attended his memorial service. His parents said he always wore it, his friends said he never wore it.
Probably one of the most memorable accidents that brings this home to me was the young 4 year old boy who was injured because he wouldn't sit down in the front seat. He "didn't want to" and it was easier to give him his way instead of forcing the issue. When his mother slammed the 1962 Corvair to a stop, for whatever reason, he fell forward onto the little 12 inch gear shift, which had a cute little plastic knob on top, and it entered near the right shoulder blade, next to the neck, in that little hollow we all have and didn't quite exit from his back; you could see the ivory covered knob as it protruded almost through his back stretching the skin so much you could see through it. They had to cut it off while he was suspended on it, upside down, and bring him to the hospital that way. Unfortunately that was after it had severed his spinal cord between the 2nd and 3rd cervical vertebrae, turning him into instant quadriplegic. He could still breathe, so that was in his favor, but I will never forget this scared little boy who didn't know his dad's last name, mom was unconscious, and there wasn't enough information in her purse to find daddy for about 4 hours. There was a Navy housing sticker on the windshield, and that's how daddy was finally located. However, in the meantime, I had to hold onto this frightened little boy's hand and tell him to hang on. I was the Corpsman in charge of the emergency room that day and I will always remember him struggling for breath and being so very frightened. He wasn't in pain, as he had lost all feeling, he was however, very bewildered and lost. All because Mommy thought it was easier to let him stand up, rather than sit down, as we found out later.
There will be those who read this article and when they get in the car the very next time will not put on their seat belt. Those people are idiots. I can't set that straight. I'd say it was part of the grand plan to remove these people from society, but unfortunately, they usually breed before they are removed, so their progeny continue the same idiotic trend. Again, I'd use stronger language and tell you how I really feel but, once again, my grandchildren may be reading this. You can't force people to use their seat belts. Remember when cars couldn't start if you didn't have your seat belt fastened? I knew one guy who figured out how to disconnect it the day after he got his new car home. I went to his funeral, too. His wife, who had her seat belt on survived. Interestingly enough, the day she got out of the hospital, she went to a party celebrating that very fact, had too much to drink, and died in a head-on collision on the way home from the party. Too drunk to put her seat belt on, but not too drunk to drive. Talk about irony.
The only people who can set this straight are those who currently aren't using their seat belt, and start using one, every time. I won't start my car until everyone in the car puts theirs on. If we have more people than belts, they don't go. If they don't want to ride with me, fine, no problem. And when I get in their cars, I put one on, and if they don't, I can't force 'em. But every time, I'm afraid I will be like the two young men mentioned earlier. I will make it to their funeral and, unfortunately, so will they. Except they will be the guest of honor. And I can't set that straight, either.
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