Seatbelts save lives

[Gatorhead]

So most of you may have noticed I am logged on quite a bit, and at odd times. I was involved in a bad accident on 9-13-06. I was headed to work @ 6 am on a very dark and rainy morning. Everything seemed normal. Out of nowhere a school bus came through an intersection and I t-boned it doing @ 60 mph. I can't begin to tell you how horrific the experience was, probably the worst was a stranger dialing my cell phone so I could call my wife and son and tell them I loved them and good bye! As you can guess I am alive. I suffered a crushed and lacerated nose (nearly torn off), skull fracture,bruised front lobe of my brain, 11 herniated discs in 6 of 7 in my neck and 5 of 7 in my lower back, and other vertebral traumas, cuts, and lesions. I have had 4 surgeries to date and have at least 4 more to go.I hurt everyday from the multiple sites of nerve damage. I have had many close calls I was able to avoid somehow, this time there was nothing that I could have done. Its scary to know that it can happen that quickly. It took me till December the 23rd to be able to get back into a car and drive. I about had a panic attack and drove slow and all the way on the shoulder, flinching at every passing car, but I had to get a Christmas present for my son.There's a whole lot we are dealing with at the time as a direct result of this accident, too much to list here anyways. The story boils down to this, I am hurt even considered handicapped, but I am alive. My seat belt saved me. With the impact of the crash I am lucky to be here, even with wearing a seat belt, and I have a higher power to thank for that. The bottom line is that no matter where I go I and my family will always have their seat belts on. That 3 seconds it takes to buckle up gave me an second chance at life to spend more time with my son, my wife, and my car That truck btw was purchased from the state and had a heavy duty k member in the front which prevented the trcuk from completely folding over on me. It was 98% restored and modded with a brand new 383 SFI 4spd 4.56 all the goodies. It was due to have the paint and interior done one week from the date of the wreck. That truck is and always will be affectionately known as Big ORANGE!

[95 Camaro Z28]

wow dude, i really dont even know what to say. glad your alive and your 100% correct in the seat belt thing. crazy what can happen. can imagine how horrifying this all is for you and your family. i think i speak for everyone here when i say our prays are with you guys.

[ricehammer]

Wow man, glad your still with us!! On March 16 2003 one of my best friends was in a head on collision and WAS NOT wearing his seatbelt. Needless to say he didn't make it. Killed instantly. When my friends and I went to clean our his car (Toyota MR2), I noticed that the only damage done to the interior of his car was from him hitting the steering wheel and windshield. No external panel intrusion from the crash. If he had been wearing a seat belt he would have made it. Injured, but alive. I still get kinda PO'd that he wouldn't wear a seatbelt. So ALL that read what Gator posted and this PLEASE wear your seat belt, it WILL save your life!!!!!!! Seen it first hand.

[Gatorhead]

Ty both for the responses. Its kinda hard to see in the pic, but there was 10 inches from the wheel to the back glass, so I did get the taste of the wheel and windshield. Not to mention I am 6'3 and 240 so that 10" was VERY tight. My legs got pinned in under the dash as well, but the seatbelt kept me from playing superman through the side of the bus.

[The Rezanka]

Wow man I'm glad you lived! I too am alive only because I had my seatbelt on. I ended up hitting a mountainside at about 35-40+ and rolling an explorer. Only thing that saved me was the seatbelt, and when I got home in the mail was recall on the vehicle for a faulty bolt in the driver side seat.

[MasterZ]

Thank you for sharing this story with us. In our every day busy schedules of life many of us often forget to take a quick second and click the seatbelt...

Let this be a reminder to everyone, to wear your safety belts. If you dont want to wear it for yourself, then do it for your family & friends.

Gatorhead, we are glad you had yours on brother! We will be praying for ya to have the best recovery possible.

[Bryan99hoss]

Man, that looks horrible... glad your ok

[Gatorhead]

Again I appreciate the response. There were two key things that made me decide to share this, one was I was reading the kill stories and was alarmed by some of the driving scenarios, and two a new member had an interesting avatar "friend of murderers, these cars". Im am as guilty as the next guy getting the red light thrill, but the way thigs are today, its not like that of yesteryear. There are alot more people on the roads today, and like I said in my story I was driving normal and had no control. So if you ever feel you have full control then you have a huge surprise awaiting you.

[Camaro Queen]

Wow, You had a few of Gods hands on you that day for sure.. I can only imagine the pain you are living thru..

You know that you getting back in a vehicle as soon as you did was good for two reasons.

You needed to get back on the bike after your fall and
It was a first step in your healing process mentally.

Know that we all here care and if there is anything we can do please feel free to ask. We are Family... You are our Family..

We all take for granted that tomorrow will come. You are a perfect example of how close our time could be. Thank you for sharing your story. I know it is not easy to relive even if it is in a post. Be strong and brave. Believe in yourself.

God Bless..

[Gatorhead]

Wow, You had a few of Gods hands on you that day for sure

I left that part out due to so many differences in religion. I believe in God, and that Jesus died for my sins. I have taught my son that, however he has never even been to Church. We choose not to go for many reasons, all superficial, but believe me that day I felt him and I tell everyone in person it was the hands of God that saved me! Amen! TY so much for the wonderful post.

[WhiteZombie]

Dang dude. That thread title couldn't be any more true. I wish everyone would recognize the importance of wearing one. Maybe if they saw this...

[Camaro Queen]

I left that part out due to so many differences in religion. I believe in God, and that Jesus died for my sins. I have taught my son that, however he has never even been to Church. We choose not to go for many reasons, all superficial, but believe me that day I felt him and I tell everyone in person it was the hands of God that saved me! Amen! TY so much for the wonderful post.

I for one also beleive but do not go to the church to do so for reasons I will not discuss on here.
All I will say here and now is this..... You may never know what it is but God still needs you here on this earth to do something of great importance. Maybe it is this thread that will save a kid from a mistake or whatever. But believe me when I say your one of God's living miracles and we dont get that job unless he has a plan for us that is of great importance.

I sent you a PM. Feel free to talk to me there freely.

[austin1]

Glad your stilll here man. I can't even begin to fathom what it must have been like or still be like. Good luck on a speedy recovery.

[Gatorhead]

TYA for your responses, I take it day by day, and yes I will recover. I am able to walk and use my arms and hands.However it does not come without consequence, everything I do hurts. I refuse to take pain meds, I believe pain is a state of mind, but it is hard at times.My memory has taken the most abuse as I will actually forget about what I am talking about in mid sentence.I have had a few of these moments on some posts in here lol.Ty for the support. There is a law that I am going to campaign on as soon as I am healthy enough to put forth the effort. It truly is a tale of David vs. Goliath. I was told from the first time I contacted a lawyer to be prepared to lose everything that I own, even though the bus driver was cited and undeniably at fault.It is a law that people do not know about until it happens to them. I don't know how many states have it, but I am currently gathering that information. The law is called Sovereign Immunity. It basically relieves any city, county, or state entity of damages or negligence. They can only be held liable for up to 100,000.00. Of that amount your attorneys fees come out, and all medical has to be paid and any and all damages to either vehicles involved.So as of this post my medical is at $153,487.94.That means that the attorney gets an automatic $25,000.00. I have to pay for the cost of a new school bus, it too was totaled. Then out of that I have to pay for my medical which will leave an outstanding balance of roughly $80,000.00.Thats just at this point, I have a C-spine to T-spine fusion up and coming, shoulder surgery, and low back surgery and leg surgeries to come. Under the law because I will recover an amount of money, even though it is not sufficient to pay everything, all the bills outstanding can be placed on a lean of my home. They will sell the home with its contents to recover what they can and I will still owe the balance. It can be challenged, however it has never been defeated. You have to introduce a claims bill and find an elected official to introduce it to the State Legislators at which point in time they either grant or deny the petition to expand the 100,000.00 cap.I have already had to fire two doctors and turn them into the Medical Review Board for tampering with my case.This will make National News on Major syndicates in the near future and I will post on that when it does.Again ty for your thoughts and prayers!

[281what?]

The title is very true as everyone stated above I was in a similar accident with an ambulance, I didn't have as severe of injuries as you had but I would have been alot worse if it wasn't for my seatbelt. To this day I try to remember to give thanks for my life that under many circumstances could have been easily swept right out from under me. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus)

Even though I don't know you, you have my prayers and deepest sympathy... Hope everything works out man.