REBECCA KNIGHTLY
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
South Florida Operations Office
Jacksonville, Florida
If you think seat belts are optional, think again. On average, between 36,000 and 40,000 Americans die on the road each year. And while it isn’t possible to prevent every accident, more lives could be saved if everyone buckled up. I’m living proof.
A few years ago, I was in an accident in which the paramedics said I would’ve been thrown through the car window and killed had I not been wearing my seat belt. And what is ironic is that I’d been notorious for not buckling up. Thankfully, I did that day.
It was a Wednesday afternoon and my two older sisters came to pick me up from ball practice. The house was only about 10 minutes down the road, so my oldest sister decided to let my 16-year-old sister drive us home. It was her first time behind the wheel, so I began joking around, saying, “Hey, I think we should put on our seat belts. She doesn’t know how to drive!”
About two minutes into the trip home, the car started to go off the road. My sister was concentrating more on the gearshift than driving and we were beginning to drift toward the right shoulder. I grabbed her shoulders to get her attention and screamed, “Mailbox!” She overcorrected to the left, spun the car sideways on the rain-slicked road and drove into the oncoming lane. There, a red pickup struck the front passenger side door of our Toyota Corolla.
As we went off the road and into a ditch, we slammed into a boulder. The boulder crashed through the right-rear passenger side door where I was sitting. The impact wrapped my right leg behind my head and caused a compound fracture of my femur. In addition, I suffered a massive head injury and immediately went into a coma.
When I woke up in the hospital nine days later, doctors told me I had almost died on the way to the hospital. They were certain that if I survived, I would be permanently brain damaged. During the following 11 months, I received physical therapy and progressed from using a wheelchair to walking on crutches and, later, a walker. Today, I am fully recovered and as good as new.
Both of my sisters also survived, thanks to their seat belts. My older sister, who had given birth two weeks before the accident, suffered a ruptured spleen and other internal injuries. My other sister suffered three broken ribs. We were all fortunate to be alive.
Looking back, I am grateful I buckled up that day — even if I just did it as a joke. My comments about her driving abilities proved more prophetic than I could have imagined. Surviving such a horrific accident was a hard way to learn the importance of using seat belts. Afterward, I understood why my parents always insisted we buckle up.
When it comes to accidents, most people think, “It’ll never happen to me.” However, the truth is, it can happen to you. You better be prepared. Before I turn on the ignition, I make sure everyone is buckled up. Before you hit the road, you should too!