SAFE - the Reason I'm Alive Today

By Morgan Krankenberg

 Hi, my name is Morgan and I am a junior at St. John High School in Stafford County. Last summer on August 12, my life was saved because of a seat belt.
I had a passenger with me.  I was going a little too fast on a dirt road, mistake number one. I hit loose sand and slammed on the brakes, mistake number two. We started swerving and I tried to correct it, third and final mistake.
I overcorrected, and that’s when I realized it wasn’t going to turn out very good. Right before it all went wrong, I looked to make sure she had her seat belt on. After I over corrected, the car started to spin out of control, and I couldn’t do anything about it. The next thing I knew I saw a ditch and then the sky, four times.
         My door flew open and all the windows shattered besides the windshield. If I wasn’t wearing my seat belt I would have been ejected through the door or through one of the windows and most likely into the car’s path.
When it was finally over and the car stopped rolling, we sat in shock for a minute and then finally crawled out through the broken sun roof and started to panic. When we finally found my phone we called our parents and then the police. I went to the hospital and spent four hours there. I had minor injuries compared to what it could have been; I could be dead if it wasn’t for the seat belt I was wearing.
Before the SAFE (Seatbelts Are For Everyone) program, I didn’t wear my seat belt very often. When it started, I wore it more often and signed pledge cards to wear my seat belt all the time. This program is the reason I’m alive today.

 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Morgan~
    Wow - your vivid description of the rollover crash brought back memories of my own - more than 40 years before yours. I am so glad you escaped without any serious injuries!
    As one of the folks in the KDOT Traffic Safety Section, I've been so moved by the many testimonials we've heard from the SAFE program. You personally, though, have done an outstanding job of saving lives by promoting SAFE to everyone from students to legislators!
    I'm sure your message will continue to be shared, and communities across Kansas will continue to see the value in the SAFE program!

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  2. Anonymous9/16/2015

    The car rolled 4 times and you were only slightly injured, thanks to the seat belt. That's amazing and I'm really glad you're ok. Thanks for sharing that incredible story.

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