Almost had a tragedy here at the store with one of my part-time delivery guys. He's 19, very well-mannered and clean cut, and does the driving on local runs. Two weeks ago, on a Saturday night, he ran his car into head-on into a guardrail at 50 to 60 mph. He was not wearing his seat belt and his car was an older, pre-airbag 1986 model Honda Civic. He was ejected through the windshield and profusely bleeding from a cut on his head/face/chin that required over 100 stitches to close. By sheer luck, a Fairfax County Police helicopter just happened to go by the area and spotted the wrecked car just a minute or two after it occurred. That quick response probably saved his life. He was Medivacced to the Trauma Center here in N. VA and his parents (who are good friends of mine) were told he might not make it, he had lost over 2 litres of blood. It was touch and go for 48 hours. But he is young and strong, and recovered after scaring his parents half to death. Maybe even more than half.....

Amazingly he had no broken bones. The police officer on the scene said in his 21 years of being on the job, this was the only through-the-windshield ejection he'd seen where the driver lived to tell the tale. Had he had his seatbelt on, he probably would have walked away from it. Had the car been equipped with airbags, he probably would not have been ejected through the glass. I went out to the accident scene (not far from my house) and could not believe the damage to the guardrail. It was bent and the wood backing blocks shattered for nearly 30 feet. It absorbed and incredible amount of energy.

He now has terrible scars that will require several plastic surgeries to try to repair. He came back to work today (amazing how quickly healthy 19-year-olds heal) and said he learned a lesson from his experience.

Wear those seatbelts! You hear it a thousand times, but heres just one more instance where this handsome 19-year-old young man will be scarred for life because he didn't.

I also am a firm believer in having your kids in safer cars. That means airbags (dual front and sides), Anti-lock brakes, and Dynamic Stability Control. I put my teens in vehicles with that safety equipment, and yes it does cost more money, but what's your kid's life worth?

He's damn lucky to be alive....