TowNews Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 BARRIE -- A York Region man is in life-threatening condition after the tow truck he was driving rolled over on the 400 early Monday morning. According to police, it happened around 8:30 a.m. in the soundbound lanes of the 400 when the 21-year-old lost control while changing lanes, causing the crash. Police say the driver was ejected from the truck because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. A 28-year-old Wasaga Beach woman - who was also in the truck - suffered minor injuries and was taken to the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, police say. There are no charges at this point. As of 12:13 p.m. Monday County of Simcoe Paramedics say the crash happened around 8 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the 400 near the ONroute. According to paramedics, two people were taken to the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, one in life-threatening condition. The other injured person suffered minor injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation. RESOURCE LINK with video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowZone Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 East Gwillimbury man not wearing seatbelt ejected from vehicle after rollover on Hwy. 400 21-year-old man remains in hospital with life-threatening-injuries following Sept. 28 single-vehicle collision A 21-year-old East Gwillimbury man is in hospital with life-threatening-injuries following a single-vehicle crash on Hwy. 400 in Innisfil. The incident took place Sept. 28 at 8:24 a.m., when a tow truck was changing lanes to try to get into the service centre. The truck went into the ditch and rolled over, acting Sgt. Dan Hunter of Ontario Provincial Police said. The incident is not due to alcohol, drugs, or excessive speed, Hunter said. "It’s a lane change, loss of control, and not wearing a seatbelt," he added. A passenger in the truck, a 28-year-old woman from Wasaga Beach, sustained minor injuries. She was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision. The East Gwillimbury man, who was driving, was not wearing a seatbelt, and was ejected from the vehicle. The driver sustained life-threatening injuries and remains in hospital. "The seatbelt use is something we harp on so much," Hunter said. "One walked away; one did not; one was belted, and one was not. "I think it is important to get the message out there for seatbelt use,” Hunter said. RESOURCE LINK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rreschran Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 (edited) This is another example of a preventable injury had the tow driver had their seatbelt on. Seatbelts don't save every life, but they've save far many more lives. From years of collecting tow operator fatalities, I've gathered as many as 39x towers killed because the did NOT have a seatbelt on and 32x of those ejected from their trucks. Although it's a personal and conscious choice, it's also so simple to get into a habit of wearing seatbelts. Although I prayed for this tower's full recovery, today, 10-6-2020, I've since learned that he passed away due to his injuries. R. Edited October 8, 2020 by rreschran Quote Randall C. Resch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowZone Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 Randall, I would have added buckle up or wear a seat belt in the email sent out this morning. However, I can't stress that anymore than has already been stress. Until it effects someone who does not wear a seat belt then they take offense to being told to wear a seat belt. It's like telling a smoker they can increase their odds of a longer life. It's their life, if the facts do not alter the thought then my telling them to wear a seat belt isn't going to either. Every time I work a head injury accident I check the seat belt if retracted. If it is locked and retracted then they did not have the seat belt on. Otherwise 99 out of 100 times the belt would be extended and locked. Seat Belts Save 99 out of 100 Lives. The Odds are better with a seat belt then without. Prove Me wrong. One of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate was at 90.7% in 2019. An average of 2500 more lives would be saved a year had the person been wearing a seat belt. Statistic from NHTSA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rreschran Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 I agree Ron that some people don't like being told to wear a seatbelt. Perhaps the message should be changes to take out the human element by saying .... "seatbelts are required by law." This reminder isn't directed at any single individual, it's directed at what the law required. Correct? R Quote Randall C. Resch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowZone Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 Look how many years it has taken to ge that Buckle Up and Click It or Ticket message to effect seat belt usage. Then compare that to how many years it will take to get the Slow Down Move Over Laws to save tow truck operator lives. How many will die before the motoring public gets it... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rreschran Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 In the Grande scheme of things, I don't know if Slow Down and Move Over laws will ever lead to an entirely safe working environment for first responders, tow operators and highway workers. That's a reality that especially shows an increase of operator strikes over the years combined with towers working the white-line. To your point, even Click it or Ticket reaches only a certain percentage of the motoring public and not the whole of it in the same manner the law requires tow truck operators to wear seatbelts ... not all operators comply. So, it bears the question, "How does the tow industry, or, a tow company ensure that tow operators were seatbelts 100-percent of the time?" I'm not so sure if that's even possible. R. Quote Randall C. Resch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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