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When I was 14 my father bought this brand new 58 DeSoto Fireflight with a 361 cu in V8 and I convinced him to trade the stock 4 barrel carb for a two 4 barrel setup. I was into cars and drag racing for a long time as a kid and knew you had to have seat belts to take the car to the drag strip. I actually bought a set of two silver lap seat belts and drilled the holes in the rear seat floor pan and installed them. That's when I started wearing seat belts and have ever since.
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22
ROBERT D. SPODEN
ROCK COUNTY SHERIFF
BARBARA J. TILLMAN
CHIEF DEPUTY
200 EAST U. S. HIGHWAY 14
JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN 53545-9601
PHONE: (608)757-8000 FAX: (608)757-7997
NEWS RELEASE
Illinois Man Killed in Traffic Crash in Avon Township
For Immediate Release Contact Person
Date : 03/09/2018 Captain Jude Maurer
Case # SO1813400 608-757-7944
On 03/09/18 at approximately 2350 hrs, Rock County Sheriff’s Deputies and
Orfordville Fire/EMS responded to a single vehicle traffic crash on S Nelson Rd
approximately ½ mile south of W Carroll Rd in the Town of Avon. The driver, and
only occupant of the vehicle, was a 52 year old man from Durand, Illinois.
The investigation found a red Chevrolet Corvette was traveling northbound on S
Nelson Rd, south of W Carroll Rd when the driver lost control of the Corvette.
The vehicle then crossed into the southbound lane, entered the west side ditch and
struck a tree. The vehicle continued northbound and then struck another tree
before it came to rest in the west side ditch area.
The driver was not wearing his seat belt and was partially ejected from the vehicle.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by the Rock County Medical
Examiner’s Office. The Rock County Sheriff’s Office Reconstruction Team
responded to reconstruct the crash. Nelson Rd was shut down from Stateline Rd to Carroll Rd for approximately three hours.
No seatbelt. partially ejected and head was decapitated. HP might or might not have caused it. Ice might or might not have caused it. No seatbelt definitely was the reason the guy was killed.
As a first responder / volunteer firefighter I'm still shocked at how often accidents occur with no seatbelts. I just don't get it. It should be a mandatory rotation for everyone to work a few months responding to fire department calls to see what happens to the human body in situations like this. You cannot unsee it and it would change everyone's behavior pretty quickly.
Way back when I was a kid, my father was learning to fly. We also had a 1955 Chrysler convert. He made the statement that he would not get into an airplane, even to taxi it, without putting his belt on. At about the same time, he had a good friend of his, and his family killed in a horrible wreck.
He took the Chrysler back to Bush motors in NE Phila, with a set of seat belts, for both the front and rear, from the airport, and had them install the belts. It was no easy job, and as I remember it, they had to put a piece of metal across the bottom of the car to anchor the belts to.
There was a lot of WAG engineering involved in this installition. Since that 1955, I have never gotten into a car without putting the belt on. Belts also saved my wife and daughters life.
Some people prefer to die or have others die than to have their “rights” infringed upon.
I've got NO problem with people who exercise their freedom and die because they weren't wearing their belt. I only get mad when they're just paralyzed or brain damaged and then cost the taxpayer a ton of money. It's not a self-affecting action unless you leave enough cash behind to pay your medical bills.
Then you can ride a motorcycle without a helmet, drive without a seatbelt, whatever you like.
I have teenage sons (19 and 17) and a LOT of their peers do not wear seat belts. I find this extremely strange. So far as I'm aware my kids always do, but it's not "cool".
I was a teenager in the 80s when seatbelt adoption was fairly new still but there was no "stigma". We didn't not wear our belt to look cool, so I have no idea what's up with the current kids.
I'm also fighting a losing battle to stop their girlfriends from putting their feet on the dash, lest an airbag put a femur through a forehead, but I guess I should just be happy they have girlfriends and not worry...
Distracted driving now kills more people than drunk driving. Texting or talking on the phone while driving is not a federal law. It is up to the states to enforce.The dumb state of Florida where I reside decided it is an intrusion of civil liberties.
PS motorcycle rider don't even wear helmets. Cameras have been installed in some Florida cities to catch people from running red lights, so stay away from Florida roads.
Wait, what? Wouldn't that make it safer to drive there? Fewer people running lights?
Drivers are disputing the tickets they are getting saying only police officers can issue tickets. A long ongoing legal battle. Some cities even removed their cameras because of legal hassles.
I'm also fighting a losing battle to stop their girlfriends from putting their feet on the dash
Even more stupid is when I see passengers with their right foot out of the window. That's really "cool". And while I'm on it, I had a teacher in 4 to 6th grade that only had one arm. He told us the story that he driving with his left arm outside the window when his car was side swiped and in an instant he lost that arm and then had to drive 10 miles to the nearest hospital while bleeding. He was lucky to live. I leaned a lesson and never put my arm outside the window and when I see someone else do it, I'm reminded of that story. Side swiping is one of the most common traffic accidents and while it really doesn't hurt the car that much, it can change your life forever. Maybe this will save one arm.
Drivers are disputing the tickets they are getting saying only police officers can issue tickets. A long ongoing legal battle. Some cities even removed their cameras because of legal hassles.
They pretty much squelched photo radar in CA. Same reason, though I strongly suspect it was the police unions that fought it. You know, jobs are more important than people's lives, etc.
Wait, what? Wouldn't that make it safer to drive there? Fewer people running lights?
Problem is: People are paranoid about getting caught in the intersection when the yellow comes on. So, in order to remove all possibility of getting a ticket for the light issue, they slam on the brakes and the intersection is blocked with the gazillion rear end collisions caused by the sudden stop.
They pretty much squelched photo radar in CA. Same reason, though I strongly suspect it was the police unions that fought it. You know, jobs are more important than people's lives, etc.
In some places when they installed the photo radar they also reduced the length of the yellow light so as to increase violations and revenue. No wonder people are distrustful of it.
I put my 1992 Corvette on its top years ago due to very cold asphalt and too aggressive throttle. My best friend and I had our belts on and survived without injury. After we released ourselves from the belts while handing upside down, not an easy task, we got out of the car and waited for the police to arrive. When the police officer got there he asked us "where are the occupants of the destroyed car?" We advised him that we were. He said in amazement " your two were in that car?" It was then that I really looked at the car and realized that we should not have escaped without severe injuries. Thank goodness for good seat belts and a Targa top and the good sense to use the belts.
In some places when they installed the photo radar they also reduced the length of the yellow light so as to increase violations and revenue. No wonder people are distrustful of it.
I think that's different - that is photo enforcement of red light violations. And yes, your absolutely right. Cities have been negligent and allowed the vendors to manipulate the timing to maximize the number of tickets and their income. It doesn't make the red light cameras bad, just the implementation. If the city (or state) set a minimum yellow light time that would prevent the abuse.
Not a wise move to leave the seatbelt unbuckled, but RIP to the guy.
I previously have mentioned a current student of mine who lost one leg below the knee when she rolled her car on the interstate and was partially ejected through the sunroof. On the fourth roll she was fully ejected, and fortunately a passerby improvised a tourniquet with his tie or she probably would have died on the scene.
No seatbelt.
BTW, I also have been wearing seatbelts since the 1950s, remember my father drilling holes in the floorpan of a '55 or '56 Chevy to install them.
03-12-2018, 11:51 PM
Not a wise move to leave the seatbelt unbuckled, but RIP to the guy.
