THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 23, 1996 TAG: 9601230002
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
On Jan. 14 my mother, her brother and his family were in a terrible accident on a Florida highway. My uncle was driving his Dodge Spirit and my mother was sitting beside him on the passenger side. Both of them were wearing seat belts. Thank God!
In the back were my aunt and a cousin who were not wearing seat belts. When a van pulled out in front of them and the Spirit struck it broadside, the only things to save them all were the seat belts and the driver-side air bag. The two in the back, however, slammed into the front seat with terrific force, causing a great deal of bodily harm to everyone.
The two in the front were treated and released after only one night in the hospital - fractured ribs, a broken wrist and, of course, they were very sore. The soreness came from being smashed against the seat restraints by those in the back seat.
The people in the back, without seat belts, are still in the intensive-care unit and don't even remember the accident. They were slammed around with incredible force.
Americans need to realize that everyone in a vehicle should wear seat belts for the protection of all occupants.
The car held up good, the safety features worked beautifully and the passengers would probably have all walked away if not for human error. I cannot imagine how many injuries occur yearly just by flying debris in auto accidents. Of course, some of that debris is in human form.
We are lucky; it looks as though everyone will recover. This time!
RICHARD W. BISHOP
Virginia Beach, Jan. 19, 1996 by CNB