Public Service Announcement – Seatbelt Safety

We interrupt our regularly scheduled “What Happened at SolidWorks World 2011” blog update to bring you the following public service announcement . . . Wear your seatbelts.

It is safe to say that if you have found your way to this site, it is likely that you work with SolidWorks; since there are many CAD options available to you, and you work with SolidWorks, it is likely that you are intelligent; if you are indeed intelligent, you should already be using your seatbelts, if not, let me tell you why I believe in seatbelts.

Maybe it is because I have a tremendous respect for those that design motor vehicles (and the safety systems that they have created to protect us), or it could be that I have just seen too many crash test videos, but I literally feel naked if I don’t wear a seat belt.  A week ago today I was given a not so gentle reminder of the importance of seat belts.  I consider myself to be a very good driver, unfortunately this incident could not be avoided.  I was waiting in the turn lane at a red light when someone turned in front of an oncoming car, the cars grazed each other and one of them deflected into me.  I only know this information thanks to the accident report – I remember getting into the turn lane, the next thing I remember was waking up in the Intensive Care Unit like this:

 It was when I saw the pictures of what was left of my car that I truly realized how lucky I was just to be alive.  From the front of the vehicle you can tell that there is substantial damage to the driver’s side:

From the driver’s side of the vehicle you can see a majority of the damage that was done to the car:

From the passenger’s side of the vehicle you can see that the front axle snapped when the car was pushed into the curb:

From the driver’s seat, you can see why I consider myself lucky to be here.  To name a few of my injuries; I have 3 broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung, a new scar on the back of my head, and a serious case of double vision.  If you look at the tiny amount of space under the steering wheel, it is extremely surprising that I did not have serious leg injuries:

I am still facing a significant recovery time, but I have my wife, my family, and my friends to help me through it –  I don’t even want to think about would have happened if I would not have been wearing my seatbelt. 

Wear your seatbelt – not just for you, but for those who care about you.

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