[19th LA Inf]

I may be wrong, but my guess is that the accident was made worse by lack of proper seat belt use, since they were found "lying by the side of the road". If that was the case, I wish Hank would, after the daughters get out of the hospital, take the opportunity to say a few words to his fans encouraging them to buckle up. Unfortunately here in the rural south, we read every day about people being thrown out of vehicles, often with fatal results. On the other hand, a friend of ours went to sleep, rolled her car, and was walking around normally the next day because she was wearing her belt.

[Tax-chick]

Excellent point, and I suspect you're right. In our local newspaper, accident reports with fatalities or serious injury almost always include, "None of the passengers was wearing a seatbelt."

[Coldwater Creek]

Just last week, during the horrible storms that was in the Memphis area, a woman that was belted in hydroplaned and was ejected from her vehicle and killed.

[garyhope]

My dad installed seat belts in our car in 1956. In those days you had to put them in yourself. It wasn't easy, you had to drill holes in the floor and bolt them in, crawl under the car to install the nuts.

I feel uncomfortable driving without a seat belt.

I've got a friend that has been ticketed 4 or more times for driving without a belt, but she's one of those people that drives with the seat as far forward as it can go and is right on top of the steering wheel. She complains that the belt hurts her neck. She's one of the world's worst drivers.

[GailA]

My boy friend and I survived a head on crash at mal-function junction here in Memphis last month with just some bruising and bumps, thanks to GOD and seat belts.

Prays up for these two young ladies.

[metalurgist]

On the other hand, a friend of ours went to sleep, rolled her car, and was walking around normally the next day because she was wearing her belt.

Then again, my friends 17 year old son was killed when the Olds Toronado he was riding in flipped over in an accident. Of the 5 passengers in the auto, he was the only one wearing a seat belt. The 4 boys not wearing seat belts were tossed around in the car and had some slight bruises, but walked away. My friends son Joey was held in place by the seat belt and his head was smashed when the Oldsmobile's roof crushed down.

Sometimes, when your numbers up there's nothing you can do.

[cva66snipe]

I may be wrong, but my guess is that the accident was made worse by lack of proper seat belt use, since they were found "lying by the side of the road". If that was the case, I wish Hank would, after the daughters get out of the hospital, take the opportunity to say a few words to his fans encouraging them to buckle up. Unfortunately here in the rural south, we read every day about people being thrown out of vehicles, often with fatal results. On the other hand, a friend of ours went to sleep, rolled her car, and was walking around normally the next day because she was wearing her belt.

Police Report in an earlier release said they were in fact wearing them and they did save their lives. The SUV rolled multiple times. I suspect either persons on scene got them out of the SUV due to potential fire risk or they got out themselves which is pretty common also.