Not Baseball...But very important

Johnny Mcelhany, 2007, 2008, 1B for Mooresville high school was in a serious accident late last week. He is finally on his way to recovery, and we are not aware of any life altering side effects. He was in very serious condition for about a week that included 5 hours emergency surgery and several days in ICU. He had a sporty car (Cobalt) but not a hot rod. Because of his heighth (6'3") he had to lean his seat back a few inches for comfort and head room. That simple action caused his seat belt to rest across his belly button instead of the bones at the front of his hips. The car performed brilliantly, the cabin fully intact, no broken bones, just a few cuts and scrapes. The seat belt also saved his life as he would have gone throught the windshield without it. I am a huge proponent of seat belts, but they must be used correctly.

I know many parents read tbr which shows their interst and love of their child. With that in mind I am pleading with you to consider your childs heighth when purchasing them a car. And stress to them that reclining the seat looks cool, and is comfortable, but is dangerous and can be deadly. Because of seat belt positioning Johnny had 2 large tears in his abdominal wall and tore up both intestines. If the seat belt was worn properly he would have walked away from a 55 mph crash with a few brush burns and bruises. It is easy to demonstrate this to your child, feel the bones at the front of the hips, they stop the seat belt. Push in around their belly, and there is no resistance until you get to the spine. This goes for passengers also. If they recline to nap or be more comfortable they are succeptable to the same occurrence.

 

Well wishes

We will say a prayer and wish him a fast recovery, from the other side of the tracks...