According to the Lakeland Ledger, Wanda Ritter, 65, a custodian at Wendell Watson Elementary School, was involved in an auto accident in Lakeland, FL, March 7, 2009 which led to her death on May 16, 2009.
Ritter was driving on Old Polk City Road east of Moore Road in Lakeland, FL. She drove around a curve and lost control of her vehicle, going into the shoulder where the vehicle then proceeded to spin and overturn onto the passenger side, strike a utility pole, and spin out again.
It appears Ritter was not wearing her seatbelt, and was ejected from her vehicle, officials said. Ritter was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center by Polk County EMS and died later of her injuries on May 16, 2009.
Every year, tens of thousands of people are victims of ejection in auto accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Association (NHTSA), ejection is one factor that is most associated with severe consequences in motor vehicle accidents.
The NHTSA states that if ejection was to be eliminated, there would be a 72 percent reduction in driver fatalities, and a 68 percent reduction in passenger fatalities. Also, if ejection was eliminated in motor vehicle accidents, there would be a 58 percent reduction in incapacitating injuries of drivers, and a 49 percent reduction in incapacitating injuries of passengers.
The ejection of people in car accidents causes thousands of deaths and injuries a year, and ejection is usually caused because of people not wearing their seatbelts.
According to the National Transport Safety Board, beginning in 1998 through 2007, 60 percent of the people killed by car accidents in Florida were not being restrained by seatbelts at the time of the crash.
This unfortunate incident is a reminder to us all of how critical it is to wear a seatbelt. As an attorney handling personal injury cases in Polk County, Florida, I represent victims of automobile accidents. It is important to note, that Florida law does require the use of a seatbelt and failure to wear a seatbelt may result in a finding of comparative negligence on the part of the victim.
