A Lakeland, FL woman, Marilyn J. Whelan, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene of a Polk Parkway car crash on Saturday, May 2, 2009. According to the Lakeland Ledger, Michael Whelan was driving a 1999 Isuzu SUV, traveling eastbound on the Polk Parkway near Winter Lake Road in Winter Haven, FL.
At that time, Frances Jean Kazen, 78, of Largo, FL, switched lanes into Michael Whelan's path. Upon impact, Whelan lost control of the SUV, spiraled into the median and overturned several times before coming to final rest. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the passenger in Whelan's SUV, Marilyn Whelan, was ejected from the vehicle. She was not wearing a seat belt.
Driver Michael Whelan, who was wearing a seat belt, sustained serious injuries. He was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center for his injuries. Kazen sustained minor injuries and was taken to Winter Haven Hospital. The crash remains under investigation.
According to a March 2007 study by the U.S. Department of Transportation, seat belts can reduce the risk of death by 45% and reduce the risk of serious injuries by 50%.
Another study, released by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2006, reports 30,521 fatalities that year resulting from a car crash. Of those fatalities, seat belt use was unknown in 8% of those instances. Amongst the remaining instances, 55% were not wearing a seat belt.
One of the most traumatic events which can occur to one's body during a car crash is to be ejected from the vehicle. Seventy-five percent (75%) of those who died in a car crash in 2006 were ejected. However, only 1% of those wearing a seat belt were ejected from the vehicle.
The fact is, seat belts save lives! If this alone does not persuade us to buckle up, it is also illegal in Florida to occupy a motor vehicle without a seat belt. Furthermore, failure to wear a seat belt could negatively affect one's recovery in a civil action for negligence. For more on this, please refer to Bartow, FL teen killed, three others seriously injured in SR 60 crash.
