Filed under: Etc., Safety, First Drive
Buckle Up: Seat belt saves choking driver
Steven John Earp of Eugene, Oregon could never have imagined that the breakfast sandwich he was eating behind the wheel as he drove to work last week was almost his last meal, period. How so? Well, during the course of his meal on wheels, Mr. Earp began choking on his sandwich, and the situation was so dire that he blacked out behind the wheel. While unconscious, he plowed into another parked car, and for his sake, that's probably the best thing that could have happened. Upon impact, Mr Earp's seat belt performed what amounted to be an unassisted heimlich maneuver on him, clearing the blockage that had caused him to lose consciousness and control of his car. No one else was hurt, and the only harm done was to the two vehicles involved in the crash. Mr. Earp, who collapsed after exiting the car when he regained consciousness, was taken to the hospital for observation and later released.
The lessons learned here are very simple:
- Buckle up, because your seat belt can save you in more ways than one.
- Put the damned sandwich down and wait till you get to the office to stuff your face. Capisce?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Don 7:02PM (8/21/2007)
Good Lord...talk about divine intervention.
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SPG 7:07PM (8/21/2007)
That's awesome, one guy that's gonna probably play it safe from now on.
And to all those that don't wear your seatbelts, wake up. Nobody thinks you're cool.
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Richard 9:24PM (8/21/2007)
Wow! To hell with not eating the damn thing because of your cholesterol!
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paul34 9:55PM (8/21/2007)
Hmm, he should definitely be suing whatever fast food place he bought that sandwich from. This is obviously all due to their gross negligence and a mass conspiracy to kill the American people by way of choking while driving (CWD).
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A 9:31AM (8/22/2007)
What a dough-head....
only reason it worked is becuase he had the seat belt on wrong. The belt would have had to be around his abdomen in order for the heimlich to have had any chance of working.
Seatbelt should have been around his hip/pelvis.
Cheerio!
A
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Ligor 10:06AM (8/22/2007)
please
the seatbelt put enough pressure on his chest that it is irrelevant if it was on his gut or not
but, LMAO
he almost choked to death while driving
I know it's sad to laugh at him, but imagine him hitting a child on the street as he passed out
personally i think a nice big ticket and maybe a license suspension should be in order
ZK 10:56AM (8/22/2007)
It performed the procedure because he is most likely a fat bastard and had the seat belt wedged under his gut.
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Calebe 11:11AM (8/22/2007)
your probably right. A 300 pound woman turned her car over not far from where i live. It happened because she was eating a taco and trying to make a curve at the same time.
Mallory 11:36AM (8/22/2007)
The lesson here is 'Don't try to eat and drive at the same time." This jackass could have killed somebody because he can't wait a few minutes to eat his sandwich safely.
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dan 1:05PM (8/22/2007)
Unfortunately, the only driving rules they actually enforce (read, the only driving rules that exist) are DUI and speeding. Wrecking someone else's car cause you were driving one handed while stuffing your face is hunky dory.
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Jeff Doyle 1:10AM (8/23/2007)
Buckle Up Chuck - Sealtbelt makes Mr. Earp Burp
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