Hey, Mike Romain

Well, I sure wish I had such a story.....

The only story I have right now is about how dumb it is to forget to wear your seatbelt, even in your driveway! :(

A couple weeks ago I was winching logs all day building a bridge so was in and out many times without moving the CJ7 and then hopped in to go see a neighbour at the end of the driveway and forgot my belt. I gave the gas a little goose on a fun corner and the gas caught under the floor mat spinning me into the bank and tossing me out through the closed steel passenger door. Broke my neck at C2 or at the base of the skull. Family Doc called it an unsupported hangman's break. The doctors say I am extremely lucky to be alive and to have the use of my body still. I am in a Halo vest for the next 3 months.

What a pain in the butt, as soon as I can move decently I am going to burn that damn floor mat, it put me in the ditch once back in the 90's also and there is no way I will give it a third chance...

Mike

2000 Cherokee Sport 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG AT's, 'glass nose to tail in '00 'New' frame and everything else in '09. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build Photos:

HOLY CRAP! Talk about an unfortunate series of events!

Are you going to be ok?

How did they find you?

K.

Well, I sure wish I had such a story.....

The only story I have right now is about how dumb it is to forget to wear your seatbelt, even in your driveway! :(

A couple weeks ago I was winching logs all day building a bridge so was in and out many times without moving the CJ7 and then hopped in to go see a neighbour at the end of the driveway and forgot my belt. I gave the gas a little goose on a fun corner and the gas caught under the floor mat spinning me into the bank and tossing me out through the closed steel passenger door. Broke my neck at C2 or at the base of the skull. Family Doc called it an unsupported hangman's break. The doctors say I am extremely lucky to be alive and to have the use of my body still. I am in a Halo vest for the next 3 months.

What a pain in the butt, as soon as I can move decently I am going to burn that damn floor mat, it put me in the ditch once back in the 90's also and there is no way I will give it a third chance...

Mike

2000 Cherokee Sport 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG AT's, 'glass nose to tail in '00 'New' frame and everything else in '09. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build Photos:

It was just one of those days I guess. I did finish the bridge deck that day though.

I think I am going to be ok. Injured my lower back also it would appear, knocked a vertebra out of place a bit but the damage seems stable and not too bad so far.

I actually got back up really carefully and got into the CJ's seat where I had a cell phone sitting. We 'just' have cell coverage in there so our phone and 3G wireless Internet still work. While doing this, I realized I was in too much pain to only have minor damage so held my head 'really' still while waiting for help. They found me within 10 minutes, otherwise I would have been there from 5:00 to 11 or 12 when my wife came home from work unless an ATV or something found me. There was no moving the Jeep, screaming pain resulted.

Mike

Kate wrote:

Mike,

Glad you're still here to report in.

Ditto.

-Bill

Thanks, so am I.

Mike

Billy Ray says he has a spare eye patch you can use, and wants to know if you're still using his old leather belt to hold your chrome grill on.

LMAO!

Ya'll must have been drinking pretty heavily on that trip.

K.

"Mike Romain" wrote It was just one of those days I guess. I did finish the bridge deck that day though.

*** You're certifiably insane. You know that don't you?

I think I am going to be ok. Injured my lower back also it would appear, knocked a vertebra out of place a bit but the damage seems stable and not too bad so far.

*** Oh, sure, ok, if you say so, Had a buddy who got put in one of those things you're wearing. Some of our friends decided to use him for a dry erase board. I have sick friends. Should I send them over ;-D

I actually got back up really carefully and got into the CJ's seat where I had a cell phone sitting. We 'just' have cell coverage in there so our phone and 3G wireless Internet still work. While doing this, I realized I was in too much pain to only have minor damage so held my head 'really' still while waiting for help. They found me within 10 minutes, otherwise I would have been there from 5:00 to 11 or 12 when my wife came home from work unless an ATV or something found me. There was no moving the Jeep, screaming pain resulted.

*** That's amazing. You're a tough SOB Mike!

K.

They call that a Perfect Storm.

I can't tell you how many times I drove off in my CJ -- that ONLY had lap belts -- with the belt couple hanging overboard.

It's gonna hurt when he's 60.

BESIDE THE POINT ALERT We were watching the Rock Cralwer MOTORCYCLES on TV a few weeks ago, and the kid on the course zigged when he shoulda zagged, and fell off his bike, which then landed on him, and my only thought was, "that's gonna hurt when he's 50." (I know that Mike has passed the 50 mark, but I'm not sure about

60.)

I used to do some motocross and quasi-trials riding when I was a teen, and my back kills me pretty much every day when I climb out of the rack. My back seem sot be okay if I stay up and drink all night, but the cost of that is a screaming headache that lasts until my back starts to hurt again.

Take it easy Mike.

They call that a Perfect Storm.

I can't tell you how many times I drove off in my CJ -- that ONLY had lap belts -- with the belt couple hanging overboard.

-----

I have been wearing my seatbelts for so long that I feel naked without them. I won't even drive out to the back field without it.

Now, after seeing Mike's story, even more so!

K.

I drove for nearly 20 years before seat belts became a requirement while driving. They had to be installed, but using them was optional.

Sounds familiar - I sat on mine for a long time. The Air Force required us to install them in order to drive on base several years before the made them mandatory but was still a case where you had to HAVE them but you didn't have to WEAR them. Then one night it hit me that I was spending a lot of time and effort strapping on that jet airplane before each flight when I was a heck of a lot safer in the air - even on our hairiest missions - than I was driving to and from work ( we lost a whole lot more pilots in auto accidents than we did in flying accidents - including Vietnam time). It's a matter of perspective, I guess.

In all fairness though, you strap on the plane because gravity pulls you in directions that includes those that are not into your seat. Odds favor gravity always pulling you down in a car.

You are exposed to being separated from your seat dozens of times on each and every flight as a normal course of operations of the airplane, but the exposure of being separated from the seat of your car only occurs due to a mishap of some sort. There is no question that remaining in the seat of the car, or plane, does alot to improve the survivability of the forces that would separate you from the seat, but those forces always exist in a plane whereas they only exist in a car during situations that are associated with an emergency.

To be sure, an emergency is an unplanned situation and it's the unplanned situations that we need belts for in a car. In a plane, the belts help us during the planned situations.

LOL, ever driven a CJ7?

Mike

2000 Cherokee Sport 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG AT's, 'glass nose to tail in '00 'New' frame and everything else in '09. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build Photos:

You've not seen me drive a CJ5 ...

Exception noted.

The rather large hump in the metal roof of the old MB we drove around (loosely speaking) back in high school would indicate that on cannot really rely on gravity to keep one's butt firmly anchored to the seat even in terrestrial vehicles such as the Jeep. We hit an unexpected ditch one afternoon and a buddy's head deformed our shiny new top right smartly. Then too, some of us prefer coordinated flight when we are at the controls with excursions into the negative g region as a planned maneuver. Of course, when I flew with students I always hitched the harness as tight as I could - that was sort of like planned turbulence.

I'm a believer in seat belts but automotive hardware design leaves something to be desired in that area.

I can tell you don't drive the the Porsche GT3-cup car I wrench on. That thing pulls 1.4 g's at all time that you are not just going straight and accelerating. Couple that with about 4 " of total suspension travel means I have to strap my driver in using BOTH hands on the seat belt cinch points. Driver comes in with bruises.

Heh, we both something with big tires, chome/aluminum wheels, and push the envelope. He gets in trouble at 160 mph, I get in trouble at 3 mph.