RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
A Randolph Airman hopes his and his daughter's experience of surviving a rollover crash will be heard during the 101 Critical Days of Summer and will teach fellow servicemembers the importance of wearing seat belts every time they're in a vehicle.
Tech. Sgt. Germaine Barnett, base Health and Wellness Center information manager, and his 5-year-old daughter were involved in a single-car rollover accident on the morning of March 23, Easter Sunday, in San Antonio. He was driving home to Cibolo from a friend's house when the accident occurred.
Tech. Sgt. Scotty Johns, 12th Flying Training Wing Safety Non-commissioned officer in charge, said the base safety office will be displaying the wreckage of Sergeant Barnett's car on the side of the right outbound lane near the main gate as part of the 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign.
"We are going to put a sign in front that says, 'Seat belts save lives,'" he said. "We feel like if Sergeant Barnett had not been wearing the proper restraining device, it could have easily been a fatality or significant injury."
Sergeant Barnett was traveling eastbound on Highway 90, near the Highway 281 and Interstate 37 interchange, at approximately 8 a.m. when he was driving around a curve and saw a parked car in front of him in the acceleration lane with no lights on.
"I swerved to avoid the parked car in the fast lane," he said. "When I swerved to avoid the car, I hit a light pole and flipped over. The last thing I remember I was sitting upside down in my seat and some emergency personnel were cutting the seat belt to get me out."
Sergeant Barnett was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center and had to recuperate for three days from his injuries - a separated shoulder, a broken collarbone, three broken ribs and several cuts caused by the shattered glass in the accident. His daughter, who was strapped in a booster seat in the backseat on the passenger side, was not harmed.
She came away without a scratch or cut.
Sergeant Barnett said his accident is a reminder to Airmen and everyone of the importance of adhering to the safety rules of the road.
"My accident shows that people should always wear a seat belt and should always pay attention to the road - just be aware of your surroundings," he said. "Seat belts do work. I truly believe seat belts saved mine and my daughter's lives."
When traveling with their children, parents should always follow the proper rules and regulations for strapping their child into a booster seat, because it could prove to be the difference between life or death in an accident, Sergeant Barnett said.
"Any pain I received in the accident didn't mean anything as long as my daughter was okay," he said. "I truly believe someone was looking out for us that morning. I always wear my seat belt, but this accident proved to me that seat belts truly do save lives and prevent injuries."
According to the NHTSA study, 425 children age 4 and under who wore child restraints in 2006 were saved in a car crash.
A study done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the use of seat belts in automobiles saved 15,383 lives in 2006 and that during a five-year period from 2002 to 2006, more than 75,000 lives were saved when people used seat belts. The NHTSA said if all unrestrained motor vehicle occupants involved in a deadly accident would have worn their seat belts in 2006, an additional 5,441 lives could have been saved.