A true story of how I ended up where I am today

JEEPCJTJ

TJ Expert
Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2018
Messages
5,412
Location
Half way between Pittsburgh and Cleveland
Just to let everyone know, I will say seatbelts completely work just a hair under 100% of the time in an accident. I said “just a hair under” because if the percentage was written out in numerals there'd probably have to be 20 or more 9s in a row. Being brought up in the 1970s when my family used seatbelts as punishment to keep feuding brothers separated instead of for their safety, using them wasn't ever on my list of the most important things to do.
DSCF0055.JPG

Was I wearing one during the accident? I admit that when driving my work van the chance of me belting myself in was about 50/50 at best and I didn’t have it on. I was just going from one job to the next job about 5 miles away.

Did flying out of the van as it rolled 2 or 3 times while shards of glass, various tools, a laptop, and a car battery mounted under a seat bounced around in there help me survive? Maybe by that hair, maybe not.
DSCF0062.JPG

Now here’s the story about the wreck. I honestly don’t remember any of it. Heck I don’t even remember a few hours, or even several days before it happened. I just got all this information from the police report on a CD, Workers Comp reports online, and my wife.

August 25, 2016 was a warm sunny afternoon, around 3:00 when I was driving northbound on a two lane 55 mph road when a guy pulled out of a trailer shop shortly ahead of me on the left. He was then headed south. Not a problem but the next guy heading south in a Ford Ranger may have been speeding, texting, and/or who knows what else. Alcohol was not involved. Whatever he was doing, he apparently needed to pass the trailer guy as opposed to rear ending him. It probably would have been much better had he passed him on the left and hit me head on. Airbags could have helped hold me in place and the quick straight stop would not have created as much flying shrapnel.


But noooo! He decided to pass in the grass on his right. Maybe it wasn’t as much a decision as a reaction. He succeeded at passing, but then swerved back onto the road, crossed in front of the trailer guy and slammed into the glass rack behind my driver door. My van was pushed off the side of the road to my right before swerving back on and flipping 2 or 3 times then going off the opposite side.

Nobody knows at what stage I was tossed out of the van.

The upper window frame of my door got folded down at some point, a body guy I know said he’s pretty sure the door flew open during the impact by the Ranger and was still open at least one of the times the van landed upside down.

Based on that, and the fact that the van did get back on the road before rolling, I figure I was tossed out sometime early during the first roll. If I had been wearing the seatbelt I most likely would have remained in the van but I’m not too sure about how some upper parts of my body would have compared to the window frame damage or what any flying shrapnel would have caused.
DSCF0042.JPG

Meanwhile the Ranger continued off my side of the road and ended up on it’s side. The roof looks pretty crushed, I think that damage came from my glass rack, roof rack and ladders bouncing into it.
DSCF0004.JPG

I found out that a nurse driving by came to my side and made sure I was breathing until an ambulance came for me. Not sure how far the ambulance took me, could be less than a mile because they passed me off to a life flight helicopter. A 20 mile flight at about $850 per mile and I’ll never remember it.

I'm not looking for sympathy or judgement, good or bad, just telling the story of the accident that started 3 1/2 months in the hospital and a year or so after that for physical recovery and still working on the mental stuff.

And FWIW don't take that "just a hair under" chance, wear that seat belt every time. I do now
 
Last edited:
Wow... clearly you're alive to tell the story, but how bad were the injuries you sustained from that?
 
Wow. What an experience you lived to tell us about. I must admit I’m not a 100% percent seat belt wearer, but will be more aware from now on. Thank you for the reminder that tiny decisions can change your life direction in a split second, some even out of your control. I’m glad you are alive and able to share.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMT
Quite the story! Glad you're still around to share it! Your story could easily have ended differently.

I'm one of those 100% of the time seat belt users. When I move my car from the garage at the back of my house, to out front, I throw my seat belt on. My wife gives me crap about it, but I've been a believer in wearing 'em since I was a teenager. Interestingly enough, however, the vintage cars that I've loved all my life didn't always have them. My '56 Ford Victoria did, but my '61 Rambler American did not. I believe they were optional equipment on most cars until '68, when the federal government decided all new cars had to have them. Anyways, I install seatbelts in all my old rides if they didn't come with them.

Thanks for sharing your story. I lost a friend about five years ago that was ejected from a passenger van on her way to a concert with a group of people. She was the only person not wearing a seatbelt, the only person ejected, and the only fatality. The other seven people all lived to tell the tale.
 
Of course it would be hard to think it at the time and through much of the pain you must have endured. But just in case you have religion, then PTL! that you survived and have mostly recovered. If you do not have religion than at least you can say it could have been worse.

Had a motorcycle accident in 2008 that took me 18 months to somewhat recover from (walk) and still live in pain daily. But I count my blessings regardless.

Thanks for sharing.
 
I appreciate everyone's responses to my post and sorry about the victims of other accidents mentioned, for your sake I wish I was the only one.

In addition to not remembering the accident, I only remember about 5% of the next three months. One of my few memories is my wife coming to the rehabilitation hospital and asking me if I knew where I was. I told her no so she told me, then asked me if I knew why I was there. Again I said no so she told me. Neither answer bothered me at all. I don't know why but I'm sure this was very near the end of October 2016 so about about 9 weeks after the accident and I ended up getting home 3 weeks later, right before Thanksgiving. Some time in February my wife came home from work and I told her that I remembered her asking me those questions and that she had to tell me the answers. She was surprised that I remembered that and told me that we had the same conversation every time she came to the hospital. Based on what family members have told me, my wife was there at least 7 times every week with a couple more on some weekends. Somehow I remember just one of at least 84 times we had that same conversation.

As for actual injuries I had 19 or so fractured bones. I'm not sure the detailed numbers but 3 or 4 vertebra in my neck and 3 or 4 vertebra in my lower back. Some in my left knee, left wrist, right shoulder, right hand and a bunch in my skull. Somehow I was never in pain so never on pain medication. I was in a wheelchair for my knee, a clamshell for my back, a neck brace for my neck and braces on each wrist/hand. I do vaguely remember trying to remove that stuff and get out of the wheel chair. I didn't know why I had any of it. I think having some pain might have helped me to understand the purpose of it. e.g. Trying to stand really hurts my knee, I guess I'll stay sitting in this wheel chair.

And here I am about 2 weeks after the accident and somewhere around 35# lighter. I think the picture was taken for workers comp or something.
20160914_172658.jpg

And here's a picture that I hope people can handle. It's my wrist probably a week or so after having a plate put in. While going through my wife's phone I found both the picture above and this picture taken a couple days later. I didn't remember seeing either before I found them but I do remember making her take the second picture for some reason. I think my plan was to look it up on the internet to see why they drew a road with a bunch of driveways and a lake on my arm. Yes I was out there but not on pain meds
20160920_121606.jpg

This was much better but not home at that time.
20161108_114301.jpg
 
Last edited:
Damn, that's one hell of a recovery that you had to go through. Sounds really fortunate that you didn't need pain meds for so much of that since there's so many issues that get tied to that. I wish the best for you and your family coming out of that.
 
Had never read this . Glad you are ok and still with us.
 
Thank you for sharing. I, too, am glad you are OK and so sad that happened.

My husband and I are both in our mid 50's, and the seriousness of the seatbelt use message was regional when we were young. I was taught to always wear seatbelts and he was not. When he was 16, somebody ran a stoplight, and my husband ended up putting his head through the windshield and hitting a house with it (the head). I'm still not quite sure on how that works - I think the front end of his truck would have been in the way. He had intermittent neck pain flareups throughout his life, then needed surgery in 2008. He's had a headache ever since, 24 hours/day, which has him on something like15 pills a day just to keep him functional.

This is all anecdotal, of course. But like you pointed out - it's the odds. Sure, some people will do better getting flung out of a vehicle, or not having a belt on. But it's a very small percent of people and not good odds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squatch and Chris
First time seeing this. That’s a hell of a story! It’s probably a good thing that you don’t remember it because it probably would’ve scared the shit out of you!

I notice you have a seatbelt on in the wheelchair picture.

Seatbelts were/are mandatory on military bases. I learned to wear one consistently back in the early ‘80s. I feel naked without one now.
 
Crazy. I know this was a few years ago, but I am glad you shared and that you’re still around to tell the story. I have to agree, I feel naked without a seatbelt now. Something so quick and easy that can save your life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2001slvrstntj
Wow... thankfully you're still here! What a story and experience. The worst that's ever happened to me was a blown knee playing football. Nothing like this.

Thanks for sharing....

As for the seatbelts, I'm married to a former Trauma Nurse who's seen many people come into the hospital after accidents when they weren't wearing seatbelts. Prerequisite for dating her was that I'd always wear one in the car.... been doing it ever since.
 
Just now saw this, being in my late 50's I never wore a seat belt. That all changed in 1998. Totaled a pristine Scrambler, wasn't wearing a seat belt and neither was my friend riding with me. I lived and he didn't. Months of physical therapy, broken back and leg, all healed up. The PTSD still haunts me to this day and I wear a seat belt like a religion now.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: RonnieS and Squatch