Two people were killed after being ejected from their car during a crash on State Road 471 on Sunday Evening.
According to the ABC Action News, 23-year-old Kodi Chamberlain was behind the wheel of a 2000 Jeep SUV around 5 p.m. when the car unexpectedly left the road.
The driver veered into the shoulder before overcorrection and driving into the path of of a 2007 GMC.
Both Chamberlain and her passsenger, 45-year-old Roger Higby, were thrown from the car and died at the scene.
Neither passengers were wearing seatbelts, according to the Florida Highway Patrol accident report.
Chamberlain was from Lakeland, FL and Higby was from Bartow, FL.
The two people in the GMC, 73-year-old Floyd Sloan and 70-year-old Caren Sloan of Bartow, FL were taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, in Lakeland, FL with serious injuries.
According to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles, In a car crash you are much more likely to be killed if you are not wearing a seat belt.
That is why Florida has seat belt laws. The law states that the front seat passengers must wear seat belts.
This law applies to any car manufactured since 1968.
In addition, all passengers under 18 years old must wear a seat belt or be otherwise restrained by a child car seat.
It is against the law to operate a vehicle if all the passengers do not meet these standards.
Seat belt laws apply to all cars, pickup trucks, and vans operated on Florida roads.
All passengers in the front seat must wear a seat belt.
All passengers under 18 must wear a seat belt.
The cost for a seatbelt violation is $30.
It is important to wear seat belts because they protect you from being thrown from a vehicle. If you are thrown from a vehicle your risk of death is five times greater.
By securing you self in your seat, a seat belt protects you from being thrown into other people in the car and parts of your car.
In addition, seat belts keep the driver in their seat so they can control the car.
Finally, from a legal perspective, the use of a seatbelt reduces the risk of liability upon injured victims. Florida allows a defendant to raise a "seatbelt defense" in automobile accident cases, which basically alleges that the plaintiff's injuries are partly or even wholly related to his/her failure to wear a seatbelt. If a jury agrees, the plaintiff's recovery is reduced by his/her percentage of fault. In my experience as a
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