For those so inclined

[Bret4207]

My partners wife is a County Deputy. 2 nights ago she rolled her patrol car and was ejected. Broken neck, ribs, collapsed lung. For those so inclined, any good thoughts or prayers would be appreciated. Shes only 36 and a tough girl, I'm sure she'll make it, but it never hurts to have a little help. Thanks.

[Scrounger]

Best wishes for sure. Ejected? Was she wearing a seat belt? Not criticizing, just curious.

[krag35]

Been thru a few of those kinds of mishaps myself, Hope all is well with her, and a speedy recovery.
krag35

[NVcurmudgeon]

Bret, We will be praying for your partner's wife's full and speedy recovery. Can we ask her name? (First name only, not prying.) Thanks, Bill and Fran

[Bret4207]

Mary. Still not sure on the belt, if she wasn't I sure wish she had been.

[9.3X62AL]

YOU BET--thoughts and prayers from our house to Mary's.

[SharpsShooter]

Prayers sent...they do work.

[swheeler]

Praying for a speedy recovery for Mary!
Scooter

[johniv]

Prayers sent.
John

[waksupi]

Brett, my best hopes go to her. It sounds as though this was in the line of duty, and we all should give our greatest support, and to all those working to keep us safe.

[Bret4207]

Well, must be the prayers are working. They got her off the resperator, although she still has all sorts of tubes running down her throat. 11 broken ribs. I understand women only have 12 or 13 to start with. The neck appears to be a "minor" fracture. The lung is coming along. She's out of the induced coma and aware of whats happening, all her parts seem to work.

My partner, Dan, says yesterday after she woke up she kept pointing to her ear. Apparently it's difficult for her to move her hands and arms due the tubes, soreness, etc. So Dan starts playing the guessing game. "Does your ear itch?, does it hurt?, do you have a headache?" Well, they had an ear piece for the radio in her ear. Finally after playing 20 questions she speaks around the tubes and says, "CHANGE THE STATION ***hole!". Dan turned to the Doc's in the room and says, "SHE YELLED AT ME!!! SHE"S OK!!!!"

[keeper89]

Sounds to me like the lady is WELL on the road to a full recovery!! God Bless and best wishes for a complete turnaround.

[Dutch4122]

.......but of course our prayers go out to Mary and your partner. Sounds like she's progressing just fine. Gotta say that after an entire day of listening to a motorola squawking in the car the last thing I'd want to wake up to would be an FM radio station playing any kind of music!

God Bless her and still praying for her continued speedy recovery.

[9.3X62AL]

I HEAR THAT, Dutch. We have a couple admin types that listen to scanners in their off-time, and I cannot think of a thing I would have liked to hear LESS than that stuff at home.

GREAT story, Bret! If I regained consciousness with rap music playing in my ear, I'd just figure that such was the muzak piped into Purgatory's waiting room--and die right there--not greatly surprised at the disposition, either.

[Gary Carter]

Best wishes go out for a fast and complete recovery. God bless those who protect us.

11 broken ribs. I understand women only have 12 or 13 to start with.
FYI Both males and females have the same number of ribs, 12 pair for a total of 24. Seven pairs of true ribs connected directly to the sternum, Five pairs of false ribs not directly attached to the sternum including the two pair of floating ribs.

[waksupi]

Best wishes go out for a fast and complete recovery. God bless those who protect us.

FYI Both males and females have the same number of ribs, 12 pair for a total of 24. Seven pairs of true ribs connected directly to the sternum, Five pairs of false ribs not directly attached to the sternum including the two pair of floating ribs.

I didn't know that, took the old story for true. Can't fool you guys in medical school!

[Bret4207]

Figures. Just when I had come up with a plan to start checking womens ribs. Purely for scientific purposes of course.......

HEr chest tube came out today, and with any luck they'll transport her home tomorrow. Thanks to all for the thoughts and prayers. Bret

[MT Gianni]

Bret, Thanks for the updates Gianni.

[versifier]

Tougher 'n boiled owl, as we say in the mountains. That's much too young to be checking out, glad she's on the mend. :wink:
Bret, a stroke of pure genius on the rib counting bit, if I put on my very best vacant look, I might even get away with it..... :-D

[Bret4207]

Just a quick update- Mary's home and doing well. 11 ribs, 2 breaks in the neck and the 1 completely collasped lung, the other lung "sorta" collapsed as I understand it. We figure the passenger side window broke oout before she went through it, saved her face. No belt , she'd just left a complaint and was reaching for it when she swerved to avoid a deer and that was how thwe accident hapened. She should have had it on, but thats between her and her boss, who's not pleased. At least she's home and alive. The odds catch up with you the more miles you put on.

Thanks to all for the kind thoughts and prayers. You guys are the greatest!

[C1PNR]

Tpr. Bret,

Her "routine" sounds just like what I've done for YEARS, up until very recently when I bought my diesel. Get in, start up, start driving, reach for the seat belt (in the real bad old days "light up" came before reach for the seat belt;-) ).

I'm going to use my new vehicle, and this incident, to change my own routine, even when I'm driving the car!

Sometimes it takes something bad happening to someone else to make us open our mind up to doing what we KNOW is right! I wish Mary the very best and quickest recovery, and thank her for a wake up call for this dumb old fogey!

[Bret4207]

I lost my father and sister both to the lack of seatbelts, seperate accidents. Nobody has to tell me to buckle up. I am considered something of a holy terror by our recruits for things like seatbelts, speed, cell phones. The young morons apparently don't realize John Q. and Mary K. Public notice such things. One good personel complaint will prove me right every time.

[Jumptrap]

I lost my father and sister both to the lack of seatbelts, seperate accidents. Nobody has to tell me to buckle up. I am considered something of a holy terror by our recruits for things like seatbelts, speed, cell phones. The young morons apparently don't realize John Q. and Mary K. Public notice such things. One good personel complaint will prove me right every time.

Bret,

I am sorry for your deep and personal loss. I lost my front teeth and met the windshield years ago because of no seat bealt/shoulder harness. You can bet your ass I wear mine now.....one trip through the steering wheel/dashboard is about all it takes fro me.

However, I still like to drive fast...we all do...even you. I guess what pains me is the fact that troopers are provided a car and license to haul ass...no explanation needed and they get off in taking my money for doing the same thing.....under the guise of public safety and enforcing the Law of course. I swear, if i were a patrolman and saw a car go by me at 120, I wouldn't even bother to put down my coffee and donut. He won't be going 120 very long, just blowing the soot out of it and besides those cake donuts with the pink icing and sprinkles are soo good with a hot cup of java:).

[StarMetal]

One of my good friends in Colorado wife was a realitor. She was on a windy mtn road in a big old Buich station wagon. It did have seat belts but had the older solid shaft steering wheel column, not the newer collapseable ones. Well she come around a bend and a car coming the opposite direction was in her lane. She ended up going over the mtn side and rolling rolling rolling over and over. Well in the process she got throwed over to the passenger side. Good thing, the steering rod got pushed up and out the steering wheel and thru the front seat. Had she had her belt on the examiner said the rod would have when right through her heart. So the both of them are stern non seatbelt wearers. I'm not trying to convince anyone to not wear a belt, I wear mine. That was just one freak accident where wearing a belt MIGHT have had severe conquenses.
Now I know that when a civilian is not wearing a belt and there are injuries and lots of damage to the car, some of the insurance companies are reluctant to pay and also the person gets a fine for not wearing a belt in addition to one for causing the accident, if he was the cause of it. The Police and the Insurance companies are very tough and stern about this. I'm glad the officer is alive and well, and hope she has a full recovery without any handicaps, but I'm interested in seeing what becomes of her not having that belt on......as we civilians would surely get our asses chewed out very well.

Joe

[45 2.1]

I investigated fatal accidents for 21 years in my job as a highway engineer. 99.9% of the problems were from NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY WERE DOING, not mechanical problems. Thje seat belt laws came from the big insurance companies. Follow the money!! I also enjoyed my grandmother another 33 years because she DID NOT have her seat belt on, if she had of, she would have died. If you want to save people, teach them to be alert or not drive. No safety device on earth will cure stupidity.

[Scrounger]

I investigated fatal accidents for 21 years in my job as a highway engineer. 99.9% of the problems were from NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY WERE DOING, not mechanical problems. Thje seat belt laws came from the big insurance companies. Follow the money!! I also enjoyed my grandmother another 33 years because she DID NOT have her seat belt on, if she had of, she would have died. If you want to save people, teach them to be alert or not drive. No safety device on earth will cure stupidity.

I agree completely, I have known people who died because they were wearing belts, but on the whole, they do help in more cases than they hurt. You want to live, pay attention, don't be stupid, and something that is fast becoming a bigger problem every year: When you can't keep up with the other drivers, and feel comfortable doing it, it's time to turn in your license. Places like where I live now and So Cal where I lived before are clogged with 60-70-80 year old drivers who really aren't competent to drive today's cars on today's streets with today's drivers. Pack it in, old Timer. (I'm 65 but still OK)

[wills]

Seat belt laws came about because the FHWA will deny funds to states that dont have them. Insurance companies may be behind that, I dont know. I think a lof of accidents are caused by bad highway design.

[grumble]

I've made my opinions on seatbelt laws pretty clear, so won't beat that horse any more.

But since the thread is starting to drift a bit,, maybe I can increase the yaw. <G> Another petticisim I have is spray from semis on wet roads. The NTSB did a study on the hazard of the reduced visibility form "road spray," and concluded that NO accidents could be attributed to it as a cause. This was after a LOT of input from various trucking unions and interest groups. So, semi trucks are not required to do anything to reduce road spray.

I'm here to tell ya though, that I've come as close to getting dead from being blinded by trucks as anything I've ever experienced. In traffic, there's no escape from the road spray -- you can't stop or slow down, you'll get run over. Try to keep up with traffic and find a "hole" in the traffic and it will fill almost immediately. Try to get ahead of the worst of the spraying trucks, and you'll be blinded while passing.

Make me king, and I'll promise to get some sort of spray abatement on all trucks and trailers!

[Scrounger]

Good points from Joe and Jump both. High speed chases are extremely dangerous and pretty much useless. They became a common occurence in So Cal. Some LEO would spot some speeder who didn't want to be stopped because he had warrents outstanding or whatever, and the chase was on. Several hours of dozens of police cars following him throughout the area till he ran out of gas. Huge disruption of traffic and of course the TV stations all had their choppers up covering it. Fortunately the ending usually was an anti-climax as the perp meekly surrendered. Of course in addition to the traffic problems it also cost the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. I would think we could do better than that with todays technology. How about the initial officer just dropping back if the rabbit wants to run, and calling in a chopper to put a Laser Designator on the car and waiting till he stops (probably only a few minutes), then calling in the troops. Heck, even if you don't get him, the chase is too dangerous to innocent people; let him go, there's no shortage of speeders or even wanted perps out there that can be got easier.

[Bret4207]

Jump- I agree to an extant that a lot of guys drive too fast in the law enforcement field. I personally set my cruise about 6 miles over the speed limit and head down the road. Odd thing is people are surprised when they pass me and I pull them over. If the cop is doing a bit over the limit it's a good bet you should follow him, not pass him. I don't hand any tickets out for that but I do remind them the speed limit is 55 or whatever.

The other end of the spectrum is the idea that a lot of cops drive fast to keep in practice. Sounds like a poor excuse, but driving at 125-130mph is a lot different than cruising along at 55. The idea is to do it on open poads with no one else watching. Some guys forget that. I have no real answer as to the best way to handle it, and I'm kind of the odd duck about things anyway. Got me. Until they come up with a way for a cop to be 50 miles away in 20 minutes without breakng the speed limit so he can break up the fight or respond to the accident there'll be this issue.

As for my friends situation, I don't know how her outfit handles it. My job takes vacation days, roughly 1 per $1000.00 damage, AND then has you go through a driver improvement course AND puts you on double secret probation AND has a guy ride with you to evaluate you. We're self insured so that's the way it's done. Personaly I'd rather get the ticket, pay my $250.00 and go on vacation. One guy had to sit the desk for like 4 years after 2 accident on the same corner less than a week apart.

The system we have ain't perfect, but it's improving all the time.

[45 2.1]

I think a lof of accidents are caused by bad highway design.

Some of that design is 100 years old. The interstate system, which is about the best your going to get, kills ALOT of people on straight open flat highways. There is NO WAY to protect a person who is being STUPID.

[wills]

Or from stupid highway designers!

[felix]

I also hate to see cops chase cars because of some traffic law. One of these days the computer in the sky, and in the car, will see them via mutual digital transmissions. However, some bad folk are prepared for this, and after a car is stolen via truck, the computer and all ignition systems are replaced with "safer" devices. ... felix

[versifier]

No safety device on earth will cure stupidity.

I have to disagree. There is one, but it only prevents passing on stupid genes. It's called a condom. Stupid people shouldn't breed, but it seems like that's ONE thing even stupid people can figure out how to do. A shame, it should have been designed a little more complicated.....
Me, I wear a seat belt and insist that my kids do too. Nothing helps when your number comes up, though, and some drunk drifts over the center line and gets you headon. As has been pointed out, the best way to avoid accidents is to be aware and not drive when impaired by bad weather, chemicals, or fatigue.

[Bret4207]

Versifier said-
"I have to disagree. There is one, but it only prevents passing on stupid genes. It's called a condom. Stupid people shouldn't breed, but it seems like that's ONE thing even stupid people can figure out how to do. A shame, it should have been designed a little more complicated....."


ROTFLMAO!!!!! True, oh yes, how true! The one law we DON"T have is 1199 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law- To wit: Driving with a crainial-rectal inversion!

[sundog]

Jump, I'm with you on the fresh sprinkled cake and a joe. Not long go I was coming home down state hiway X and was summarily passed at an extremely excessive rate by a county mounty, no lights, no siren. So fast, in fact, I never even saw him in the rear view. I gets to town and stops at my usually gas and cold beer stop and there he is egressing from said 'offical vehicle'. As I walks by I looked him straight in the eye and said about how fast he was going. Young feller and he said he was on a silent alarm, and I said, "********!" He fluffed up and said, "What did you say?", like he was gonna do something. I said, "You heard me, and you're a lying sack of ****." Nothing more was said. More people should call'em down when they are in the wrong place doin' it. That badge ain't no free pass. sundog

btw, did you notice that this struck a nerve? I spent 26 years in uniform and we had a thing called 'Standards of Conduct'....

[Bret4207]

Sundog- "Lead by example". Basic idea, sadly lacking these days.

[floodgate]

Guys:

Back to seat belts. I first started using them when we had to make a high-speed run on the job in a Gov't. "vehicle" with the old pillowy bench seats of the '60's. They helped keep me behind the wheel, and I've used them religiously ever since, even before they were made mandatory, and even when moving my car or truck around the farm yard. Two years ago, we got head-on'd by a "flatlander" who - admiring the scenery, hooked a wheel in the ditch, rolled, and whacked our Honda Civic Hatchback square across the nose at 45 - 50 mph; Bev was driving and with the high bank on our side and other traffic on the left, we had nowhere to go. But lap and shoulder belts, and the "air bombs" I had long derided, SAVED OUR LIVES; we got off with nothing more than bad bruises and one light scratch from her window crank that faded long before the insurers settled. The other driver got to hang upside-down in her belts for twenty minutes and think about her sins until the helo got there for her $8,000-dollar ride to the ER; fortunately (I'm really a nice guy), she wasn't badly hurt; the first thing she asked the EMT's was "Are they going to sue?", which says something about our present lawyer-driven economy. (No, we didn't sue.) Yes, one in a hundred times, seat belts and air-bags may cause more injury than they prevent, but we'll go with the other 99, thank you! End of rant.

floodgate

[StarMetal]

I'd like to see the racing car H harness in current cars....I'll forego the helmets being manditory though.

Joe

[Maxthompson]

Since we've already hicacking the thread.
Nothing bothers me more than people driving in the rain at 65 with four way flashers going.
They can't see and neither can they. They're aughta be a law.
Mike

[Jumptrap]

[QUOTE=Tpr. Bret]Jump- I agree to an extant that a lot of guys drive too fast in the law enforcement field. I personally set my cruise about 6 miles over the speed limit and head down the road. Odd thing is people are surprised when they pass me and I pull them over. If the cop is doing a bit over the limit it's a good bet you should follow him, not pass him. I don't hand any tickets out for that but I do remind them the speed limit is 55 or whatever.

The other end of the spectrum is the idea that a lot of cops drive fast to keep in practice. Sounds like a poor excuse, but driving at 125-130mph is a lot different than cruising along at 55. The idea is to do it on open poads with no one else watching. Some guys forget that. I have no real answer as to the best way to handle it, and I'm kind of the odd duck about things anyway. Got me. Until they come up with a way for a cop to be 50 miles away in 20 minutes without breakng the speed limit so he can break up the fight or respond to the accident there'll be this issue.

As for my friends situation, I don't know how her outfit handles it. My job takes vacation days, roughly 1 per $1000.00 damage, AND then has you go through a driver improvement course AND puts you on double secret probation AND has a guy ride with you to evaluate you. We're self insured so that's the way it's done. Personaly I'd rather get the ticket, pay my $250.00 and go on vacation. One guy had to sit the desk for like 4 years after 2 accident on the same corner less than a week apart.

The system we have ain't perfect, but it's improving all the time.[/QUOT

Bret,

I think highly of you and there probably is little I wouldn't do for you if called upon to do it....same goes for the rest of the crowd here. I know very well that I come across as an ******* most of the time, but there aint a word of truth in that...much, hehe!

I know you catch the **** end of the stick here when law comes into focus and it's not personal, you're a sounding board is all. But please hear me, I have been mistreated by Andy and Barney in the past and I will never forget it. The sad fact of the matter is cadets are brainwashed to believe everybody is their potential enemy and all that be curteous to evreybody, friendly to none ********. ******, public servants work for us, the taxpayers, yet, we feel victimized by being watching, followed and scrutinized on the highways. i have never hurt anybody in 32 years of driving and don't intend to. But bygod every once in a while i like to take the brilde off my horse and let it run but the fear that some hotshot in a police special will run me down like a gut shot dog haunts me. I don't like being talked down to or looked at like bastard calf by a bull in a uniform. I wish the hell there were no speed limits on the major highways. I am a decent citizen, pay my taxes and have worked all my life and I feel like if i want to go 100 mph I should at least be able to that...it's a cheap thrill and exhilarating. To be able to drive like that at will makes it seem passe' to a guy like you...like the soldier who shot more machineguns in the Army than he ever cares to again....but it zooms those of us without that opportunity. I just want to be left alone, if I kill myself, let them scrape me up and be done with it, but leave me to my own in the meantime.

[9.3X62AL]

Jumptrap--

I hear what you're saying, sir. I think others here have hit the nail on the head by labeling the insurance companies that drive legislation that results in the "nanny state" traffic laws as the real culprits here. Add in that traffic officers see the results of poor driving pretty frequently--flayed, dismembered, and avulsed body parts are a sight that stays with you--so an officer's viewpoint can get a little skewed, too.

Thankfully, I didn't have to do a lot of traffic enforcement or investigation work during my career--I didn't like it at all, it seemed like it was mostly legwork for insurance companies, who raised premium rates for ticket recipients. It also pissed off the people that paid the bills (decent citizens getting cited) and was ridiculed/minimized by the people I was really after--known/career crooks.

You would think that after almost 28 years of that work, I would be closer to an answer for a question like yours. I'm not. More experience just created more questions, not better answers. Sorry about that.

[StarMetal]

Germany's autobon works good for them, BUT they have their damn liberals too that want a speed limit on it. The fact is that most american wouldn't be able to drive on the autobon safety, the Germans have been doing it for years. Our country is too hell bent on laws. Sure would be nice if we had an autobon that went from east coast to west coast because that sure is a long boring drive and airfare cost too damn much now.

Joe

[Bret4207]

Jump, no one likes to be treated like crap. Maybe I've been lucky, but usually I treat men as men and they maintain their dignity and all goes well, usually. Got some scars too, so I ain't perfect at it.

As far as wanting to drive fast, well- I'm just home from a car vs. tractor trailer accident. Young girl, 8 months pregnant, hit at an intersection when the TT driver ran the light to keep up with his "convoy". She was ejected from the left rear passenger seat, how I don't know, and skidded about 50 feet on her belly under a guard rail and into a ditch. I had to hold her down and try and keep her still till the medics got there. She was certainy alive when she left, but DOA at the hospital 5 minutes later. They cut her open and are trying to save the baby. She's one of what? 40,000 live lost each year in the US alone? Sorry buddy, but I don't want to know that Ol' Jumptrap bought the farm for a thrill. I like you, and I'd rather not lose anymore "friends" (whether we ever meet or not) to something as dumb as a car accident.

If you want a thrill try dirt track or go kart racing. Cheap, aggresiveness is rewarded and you won't get a ticket.