PLEASE make sure you wear your seatbelt

chris_w

Hi,

I realise this isn't GPS related but I felt it was important.

On Saturday I had a day from hell..... I have seen something I don't want to see again EVER and I hope we can all learn from what I am going to tell you about. I'm certainly not going to forget it in a rush.

Sarah and I set off for an Easter day out with the kids.

We were on the M6 between Junct 15 and 16.

Suddenly the car in front of us hit a stationary car on the hard shoulder - Sarah did very well to keep us out of the accidient.......

We stopped to help - we were the first at the scene.

What met us was total carnage there were five people in the car and only one could walk away(after wrenching the door open) three were seriously injured and one didn't make it. It's a scene I will never forget.

NONE OF THEM WERE WEARING A SEATBELT.

Sarah is a nurse and did her best with another nurse to keep them stable whilst I looked after the driver who was trapped in the car and tried to keep him awake as well as trying to take the car apart with some other guys to get him out. It took the firemen in the end to cut the roof off.

Two air ambulances landed on the motorway to take the seriously injured away.

so..............

1. Please wear your seatbelt - I've seen what happens when you don't.

2. Get decent seats for your kids - you'll only regret buying the cheap ones when it's too late.

3. When you stop on the hard shoulder - PLEASE get out of the car.

4. Jessica told me this rhyme - you might want to teach it your children to remind them.

Twinkle twinkle I'm a star
I wear my seat belt in the car
If my mum and dad forget
I say to them it's not on yet
twinkle twinkle I'm a star
I wear my seat belt in the car
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Thanks,

Chris

porndoguk · Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 11:26 pm Post subject:

hey sorry to here that buster, pat ya misses on the back for me i live by m6 jct 11 that stretch of motorway is a notorious black spots for RTA,

im currently training to be a CFR, Comunity first responder, aka a volenteer paramedic, for staffs ambulance service.

rta's are a real horible thing to deal with, where i live it takes the average ambulance 15-20 mins to arrive at the scene of an accident,

and the most crucial time of any call is 8 mins

my point being that out CFR group have to cover a small area but also covering the blackspot on the m6,

so like chris said please wear your seat belt as its to late when you havent, there not put in there for the fun of it,

other than that drive carefull and my god bless!

PaulB2005 · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:44 am Post subject:

Whilst studying for a Degree in Forensic Measurement one module was in Accident Investigation. Some if the injury's were horrific. Put it this way Casualty makes it look like a "bad" car crash is just a lot of blood and screaming and the odd bone poking out. When you've seen a "proper" bad crash you get a real idea of what can happen. It's true that in some situations a seat belt is not going to help but it amazes me the number of people who believe an Air Bag is a substitute for a seat belt. Air Bags are designed to be used in conjunction with a seat belt. I understand now a common injury in a medium speed crash is head injury not from the windscreen but now the A pillar as the driver / passenger is thrown forward onto the air bag and either slips around the side or carries on forward once it deflates - an Air Bag is only inflated for a fraction of a second - don't believe what you see on TV or in films.

If not for yourself, do it for your family and friends.

chris_w · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:21 am Post subject:

Paul,

Yes, the movies and casualty were a very far cry from Saturday morning.

And the Car was old and didn't have airbags
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Thanks,

Chris

chris_w · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:25 am Post subject:

lupos0_1 · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:31 pm Post subject:

Wow thats heavy!!

I must admit that I have been guilty of not putting on my seatbelt for the odd trip to the shops.

I will think before setting off after reading this.

As I am a new dad as well, there is no way I would set off before ensuring my child is strapped in properly in the best car seat I can afford.
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PaulB2005 · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 2:09 pm Post subject:

Just remembered. Seen the advert with the 3 lads in the car getting pizza who have an accident? Then it goes back to as if they did put the seat belts on.

Think about what the cheese and tomato topping from the pizza is supposed to represent - and it's not a spoilt dinner....

porndoguk · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:03 pm Post subject:

the air bag is mainley to prevent whiplash (in conjunction with seatbelts, pre tensioning buckles & headrests) and head injuries,

but a very common and fatal injury caused in high speed accidents is internal bleeding from the liver as its right where the lap is, thats what the airbag does and helps the body from jolting forward and applying pressure to the stomach area, internal bleed is extremely serious and you dont always see the signs until its too late.

chris_w · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:52 pm Post subject:

porndoguk · Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:46 am Post subject:

like the sayin always goes the quiet ones are the worst ones,

the guys whos screamin and with a broken leg is fine,

the guys whos silent with no signs of injury needs attension and sadly this catches people out in emergencys your head goes crazy the body fills with adrenaline and you think your helping the worst,

But your not.

im just hopeing i get the chance to make a difference and save valuable minutes that the paramedics cant get too and obviously lives

if pocketgps you would like a charity to sponser maybe you could help us please?

Wink

matb · Frequent Visitor Joined: Mar 20, 2006 Posts: 258

as a motorway patrol officer with greater manchester police i can fully understand how this incident has and will effect you.
sometimes it takes an incident such as this to understand just how short our lives can be.
as i deal with collisions everyday i have become hardened to what i see, but every once in a while one comes along that hits home, age groups , kids, babys etc. sometimes this hardness can come across to those directly involved as we dont care. this is not the case, and it is what you dont see after we have left the scene, after you have all long gone that would shock you.

if you fell that you need help or even someone to talk to then there are people out there to help. dont let yourself suffer, talk !!!

mat

chris_w · Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 1:57 pm Post subject:

pip510 · Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 5:22 pm Post subject:

Hi there I too can appreciate whats it like seeing something like that ... not pretty at all, I am also a serving police officer this time for South Yorkshire how ever im just a normal beat bobby not traffic as yet, how ever it beggers me beyond believe what people will do when they go out in the car including not having the children strapped in to thier seatbelts while the adults have all got thiers on!
Now to me they either just don't care or haven't realised the consequences of what could happen.
It has to be a real bug bear of mine too be honest and one that I have often pointed out to parents or grandparents of young children.
As it should happen I have just been on the M6 today and saw a young lass jumping aroun in the rear of vehicle and wondered whom the mother would blame if something happended to her.......
Doesn't dare thinking about does it...

Please Wear Your Belts
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chris_w · Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:31 pm Post subject:

jonajuna · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 56

slightly off the topic of belts, but it also amazes me the amount of bikers you see without proper gear on, theyll wear the helmet as its required but to see young women on the back of bikes with a tshirt and shorts or skirts amazes me.

recall one summer trip when this guy flew past me (i was errr drifting over the speedlimit shall we say) in no more than a pair of footy shorts and trainers.

im banned from bikes now (by the wife and kids not the law) but when i rode i always wore full kit, the exception being if i was staying in town (small one at that) but even then the only thing i would skimp on was leather trousers.

you wont stop death through wearing leathers, but youll stop hours of very painful gravel rash being scrubbed out and reduce the chances of broken bones even if you have high quality kit

back to belts, my kids nag me if i even reverse off the drive without my belt on Rolling Eyes

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