Old car enthusiast needs help after terrible accident in Montana

[Budnicks]

Good belts are a must in all my builds,
I have the stock ones in my RR lap & aux. shoulder
I'm going to replace with a better set too...
1st thing I do whenever I get in any car/truck, is buckle up...
It's been ingrained it in all the kids too...

sad for the family & friends

 

[XS22J8R]

I don't know how original your vert is, but there are later model buckets in some high-end foreign car convertibles with integral shoulder belts. My diesel pickup has them too, but way too big for a challenger.

My car is stock so I'm pretty restricted as to what I can do without installing something that really sticks out like a sore thumb.
The Challenger salesman guide actually says an option S13 for convertible shoulder belts was available. . I've never seen one with that option though and wonder if any were actually built, and have no idea how it even looked.
Everything in life has some risk. Someone was telling me one of the common times older men have serious or even fatal falls is getting up and going to the bathroom to take a whiz, losing balance while standing by the toilet, and falling over. You could say that you take risk even just getting out of bed to start one's day! So I am really careful when I drive that car, only drive it on nice days and rarely after dark. The few times I drive it after dark is short drives home from a local cruise 3 to 15 miles max. But as previously mentioned, I'm aware of the risk and it does concern me.
There is a reason I'm passionate on the subject. This was me in 1991. After getting moved out of ICU I saw a diagonal bruise on my torso where the shoulder belt had restrained me. I don't have a clue how I survived this, but I can tell you for certain I wouldn't have lived if I hadn't had the shoulder harness on!
The FAA says you don't have to wear the shoulder belt if it interferes with your ability to operate the controls while acting as a pilot. I'm disappointed how many pilots use that as a cop out to not wear the shoulder belt. Newer manufactured planes have 3 point harnesses that don't give those lazy and careless aviators the option.
It's often said everything happens for a reason, so maybe the reason I survived this un-survivable crash was so I can yell at everyone to wear your damn seatbelts!

 

[1STMP]

Seat belts save lives. It's a
proven statistic. Though
many feel it intrusive when
they're mandated.
I'm danged near 70. I
remember the days of
young-uns standing up
in the front seat next to
pop, challenged by that
guy who thinks his ride
is the fastest thing on
wheels. I'm alive today
as my dad never gave in
to those challenges,
though he definetaly had
his ego, and loved his
tri-power Oldsmobiles.

 

[33 IMP]

My mother would have died in the collision that killed her nice 63 impala, (NOT her fault!) if she HAD been wearing her seat belt. I fully realize this is the exception, not the rule. Her car was hit from the rear, spun around, and t-boned on the drivers' door by a third and fourth car.Foordoor hdtp, it ended up horseshoe shaped, but mom ended up on the passenger side floor.
But I feel naked unless I'm wearing mine.

 

[Hey-O]

Sad and thanks for posting Ed, RIP

X2....

 

[Auggie56]

I saw that sad video when it first appeared on YouTube and posted a comment on it that bears repeating here. That message is wear your seatbelts! That crash didn’t look bad enough to be fatal if he was wearing his seatbelt.
I cringe when I watch a lot of the MotorTrend reality shows where they go out on a test drive at the end of the episode and aren’t wearing seat belts. It sets a really bad example for viewers.
Our vintage rides have few safety features like crush zones and airbags that modern cars have, but they do have seatbelts, if not, seatbelts can easily be retrofitted to cars that don’t have them. I doubt that he’d be dead or even that badly injured if he was wearing seatbelts, and would be trying to figure out how to repair his truck now rather than being mourned.

My first car was a 56' Chevy, the first thing I did was put seat belts in her.

 

[WileERobby]

My mother would have died in the collision that killed her nice 63 impala, (NOT her fault!) if she HAD been wearing her seat belt. I fully realize this is the exception, not the rule.

Long story, short. An MVA years ago, a young kid driving an Olds Ciera was totally blitzed drunk, destroyed his car without wearing his belt, came out without a scratch. He had almost zero control over his body, probably bounced around like a worm, the steering wheel was impaled on the seat back, he was sprawled on the floor.

 

[TorRed]

Good belts are a must in all my builds,
I have the stock ones in my RR lap & aux. shoulder
I'm going to replace with a better set too...
1st thing I do whenever I get in any car/truck, is buckle up...
It's been ingrained it in all the kids too...

sad for the family & friends

I tried wearing my 70 Roadrunner's shoulder belt once. I sit fairly tall in the seat and the belt hit me right across my throat, didn't think that would be good in an accident so never wore it again. Wanting the car to be safer for me and my passengers and ultimately my son who will get the car at some point I searched out and found and aftermarket retractable 3-point front seat belts system. Haven't put it on yet, but it lowers the mount point of the shoulder harness so hopefully it will now cross my shoulder like it's supposed to. Won't look stock, especially when all the windows are down but as other's have pointed out here, shoulder harness' save lives! I got mine off of Ebay, but I've seen them on other sites as well.

Be safe everybody.

 

[toolmanmike]

How much for his truck?

Even as a joke that is out of line and very disrespectful. We are better than that here in this group.

Delete your post.

Damn, really?

I could delete the post but I think I'll leave it up so people can see who would say such a thing.

 

[1KoolBee]

Not the first KIA story I’ve seen with a classic car, even with relatively minor collisions (like 35 mph). So sorry Bob, Rest in Peace.

Fact is , without a seat belt and shoulder harness, you’re going to eat the steering wheel and non-collapsing column. Our classics are not “safe” cars in a crash period. Unless restraints are in place, retrofit or factory, although my Bee’s factory shoulder harness will probably decapitate you in a crash.

 

[33 IMP]

Not the first KIA story I’ve seen with a classic car, even with relatively minor collisions (like 35 mph). So sorry Bob, Rest in Peace.

Fact is , without a seat belt and shoulder harness, you’re going to eat the steering wheel and non-collapsing column. Our classics are not “safe” cars in a crash period. Unless restraints are in place, retrofit or factory, although my Bee’s factory shoulder harness will probably decapitate you in a crash.

Agreed, about the 69-70 shoulder harness. A terrible design. But I did use the lap belts.
The "fast" cars I have all have five point harnesses, and I use them on the street too (except for the crotch strap on the street)

 

[Budnicks]

I tried wearing my 70 Roadrunner's shoulder belt once. I sit fairly tall in the seat and the belt hit me right across my throat, didn't think that would be good in an accident so never wore it again. Wanting the car to be safer for me and my passengers and ultimately my son who will get the car at some point I searched out and found and aftermarket retractable 3-point front seat belts system. Haven't put it on yet, but it lowers the mount point of the shoulder harness so hopefully it will now cross my shoulder like it's supposed to. Won't look stock, especially when all the windows are down but as other's have pointed out here, shoulder harness' save lives! I got mine off of Ebay, but I've seen them on other sites as well.

Be safe everybody.

I have aftermarket seats (ProCar Elites) in mine,
OE Decor/bench-seat although was perfect condition when sold,
sucks/sucked, couldn't stay put in the curves
I have a tall torso too
the factory aux shoulder harness, is higher on my chest than like my Dakota's is
but not by my neck...