Saved by the Belt Stories

I am a Principal of a Lutheran  School here in NE. One night I was driving back from a school event on a gravel road between Hooper and Arlington. As I crested a hill, I suddenly hit a patch of deep ungraded gravel. The impact jerked the steering wheel from my hand and I lost control of my vehicle. Suddenly I was careening off of the roadway and over an embankment of some 8' nose first. As I hit the ground the car flipped and finally came to rest on its roof! The only  injury I sustained was a lump on the top of my head from the blow I received upon unbuckling my seatbelt while hanging upside down. In all  the excitement I didn't even think about that! I am convinced that me  "Buckling Up" saved me from serious injury and possible death.That was over 20 years ago and in that time I have raised 4 sons and helped educate many children. Something that may never have  happened if I had not been wearing my seatbelt that night! What if it had been the one time I was in too big a hurry, or told  myself I was just going a few miles? But it wasn't...for that I am truly thankful to God."

David A Hobus
Principal
Our Redeemer Lutheran School
North Platte, NE

It happened on the highway by my house. I wasn't involved in the accident, my brother was. He wasn't wearing his seatbelt because his dad always told him that more people die wearing it. He started going into the ditch, overcorrected, and rolled maybe 3 or 4 times before his truck came to a stop. He was ejected from the car out the driver side door. He wasn't found until 3:00am... He suffered major head trauma, and was in a coma for a week before they flew him out. He did live but he's now paralyzed on his left side. If my brother would've been wearing his seat belt he would still be my same old brother.

I was taking my mom's friend and her three children, ages 10, 5, and 6 months; to a friend's house. It was raining and my car hydroplaned, hitting an SUV and spinning into a 18 wheeler. Everyone wore a seat belt and luckily, I was the only one with minor injuries.

An 18 wheeler lost its cargo right in front of me. My car was totaled. Other people who stopped thought I would be dead. I had a bruise from the safety belt for weeks but I'm so glad I was wearing it.

My car crash happened in mid September on a Friday night.  I was driving from my friends house to go get ice cream. We were following another car with five other people in it. Two cars ahead of them a ferret crossed the road; the car came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. The car behind, hit them.  The car I was following swerved out of the way and I hit the car in front of it. One of the police officers said that if we had been in a smaller car or hadn't had our seatbelts on that we could have died.

West bound I-80, between Des Moines and Omaha; Christmas Eve, December 24, 2009. Stephen just returned that morning from a tour of duty in Iraq.  He landed in Des Moines that morning (Air Base in Des Moines) and was anxious to make it home to Bellevue to celebrate Christmas with his family. The roads were wet in Des Moines but 50 miles west, the roads were glazed over with ice.  He lost control of his vehicle (pick-up truck) and was headed for a ditch. He covered his eyes and face preparing for a rollover. Witnesses stated that the vehicle might have rolled over two or three times. When the vehicle stopped, Stephen was hanging upside down secured by his safety belt. If not for his belt (and his nagging mother who always reminds him to buckle-up) he would not be here today. Damage to the vehicle was a total loss. His overseas duty certainly was dangerous in many ways, but he experienced the greatest threat to his life while driving the last 50 miles to return home. Thankfully, we celebrated Christmas in our usual style.  If not for his safety belt, this may have been the last Christmas our family would have celebrated.

Rose White
Stephen's mother and Traffic Safety Director
AAA Nebraska

We were going 5 miles an hour getting ready to turn.  We were suddenly hit from behind by a 19-year-old kid who was going at least 40 miles an hour.  I don’t know if he was on the phone or just not paying attention or what. There were 4 people in our vehicle and we were all belted and all walked away.