Dallas County Wreck Takes Life Of Woman Not Wearing Seat Belt

Police Say She Would Have Survived Had She Been Wearing Her Seat Belt

A 21 year-old woman was killed last night in a car crash on I-20 in Grand Prairie. The fatal car crash occurred around 11 p.m. last night. One driver side swiped the other, causing the woman’s cars to veer off the roadway under Highway 161. She was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from her car.

Law enforcement officers say that she would have lived had she been properly restrained. Further highlighting that seat belts save lives, the driver of the other vehicle was wearing a seat belt and sustained nonlife-threatening injuries.

It Only Take Two Seconds to Buckle-Up

I see this all the time in my practice — people who are seriously injured or killed who were not wearing their seat belts — and always wonder why.

NHTSA statistics show that most people killed in rollover accidents in 2010 were not wearing seat belts. Almost 85 percent of those fatally injured by partial ejection and close to 100 percent of those who were completely ejected were not belted.

Fastening a seat belt takes virtually no effort and literally two seconds. And of course it’s required under Texas law. The seat belt is the single most effective traffic safety device for preventing death and injury, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In fact, the National Safety Council estimates that wearing your seat belt cuts your risk of crash injuries by approximately half.

Why Do People Choose Not to Wear Their Seat Belts?

Why do people choose not to take this basic life-saving measure? NHTSA lists the top five excuses people make:

  1. I’m driving a short distance;
  2. I forgot;
  3. I’m in a hurry;
  4. The seat belt is uncomfortable; and
  5. There isn’t much traffic

Tragically,
a young woman needlessly lost her life last night because she didn’t
wear her seat belt. Don’t make excuses, just buckle up.

You Are Required to Wear a Seat Belt in Texas

In our article Why Texas Has Mandatory Seat Belt Laws,
we described what happens during a car crash and explained how seat
belts work. We also emphasized that in Texas all drivers and occupants
are required to wear seat belts. Texas has what is called a primary
enforcement statute, which means a law enforcement officer can ticket
you if you or your passenger is not wearing a seat belt, even if you
have committed no other driving offense.

Get the Help You Need After a Car Wreck

You may still be seriously
injured in a motor vehicle accident even if you wear your seat belt.
Bill Berenson can help you recover for your injuries. Call our DFW law
office today at 817-885-8000 or toll-free at
1-888-801-8585 to schedule an appointment with our Board Certified personal injury lawyer. Your first consultation is
free.

Related Case:

The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in the “seat belt defense” case; Nabors Well Services, Ltd. et al. v. Romero et al. I blogged about that here when the verdict was first appealed.

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