Warren County, GA Wrecks Show Need for Seatbelts
Two single-car incidents last month on I-20 in Warren County, Georgia ended vastly different for their victims. In both cases, seat belt use could have made a difference. The first wreck was witnessed by Georgia State Trooper First Class Powell Allen, who was driving along rain-soaked Interstate 20 on the way to a separate wreck scene. Trooper Allen saw a SUV hydroplane and spin, then saw a teenager fly out of the vehicle. Amazingly, the teenager was not seriously injured and is expected to make a complete recovery. The second wreck involved a tractor-trailer driver whose vehicle left the roadway in the early morning on July 30, 2008, and crashed into the woods beside the road. Investigators found the body of the driver some 20 yards in front of the wreckage of the cab.
That teen was a very lucky young man. Some people point to stories like his to try to show that people can escape injury by not buckling up. But there was more to that story: none of the three other passengers in that SUV were injured in that incident. They all missed a ride to the hospital and the resulting bills and I suspect that the teen could have skipped the ambulance ride if he had buckled up.
Thanks to the McDuffie Mirror for reporting.
