Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Treatments, Rehabilitation, and Recovery
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RobertRacer
Posts: 137
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:54 pm
Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: 9/23/07 - LTBPI / Motorcycle collision
Location: Birmingham, AL

Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Post by RobertRacer »

Ok, question? What does everyone do with their seatbelt when they drive?

I tuck the shoulder belt under my armpit. It really bothers me over the shoulder both mentally and physically. Plus if I had a serious frontal colision with it normal, my arm would probably be 100 paralyzed. So I got pulled over for the 3rd time here by a trooper for it. This time he gave me a ticket. I had it on, just improperly so it doesnt count. I tried to explain the situation but he was just....well, i dont have anything nice to say. He suggested i get a doctors note.

Does anyone else have this problem?
Robert - LTBPI/34/AL - Yamaha meets Ford Expedition....not good.
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hilltopfwb
Posts: 82
Joined: Fri Dec 11, 2009 11:50 am
Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: May 24, 2008 an 88 year old lady did not see me and pulled out while I was riding my 06 HD Street Glide. The accident resulted in 9 broken bones and brain hemorrhaging. The accident's most serious results was two avulsions confirmed in my C6 & C7 vertebrae. In Oct of 08 Dr. Li of Wake Forest University performed nerve transfer lasting around 8 hours in surgery. I have limited use now of my left arm. It took until July of 09 before it moved at all, and now is moving limited. I experience burning pain in my left hand, staying busy helps keep the mind off of burning. I visited the Mayo Clinic May, 2010 and consulted with their brachial plexus team. May 1, 2012, I underwent a muscle transfer at Wake Forest University. This surgery was deemed a success and I have more movement in my arm.
Location: Fuquay Varina NC 27526
Contact:

Re: Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Post by hilltopfwb »

This is simply unbelievable!
s8n
Posts: 223
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:51 am

Re: Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Post by s8n »

if it was me i'd fight the ticket citing your arm for the reason you wore the belt the way you did.
daniel
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karategirl1kyu
Posts: 363
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:59 am
Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: LOBPI, had surgery when I was 9- they moved muscles and tendons from one side of my arm to the other side. I can lift my arm to about my eye level, can't straigten it all the way and can't completely supinate my wrist.
Location: Richmond, RI

Re: Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Post by karategirl1kyu »

get a doctors note to keep in you car at all times like he suggested, but then you could also fight the ticket in court, just make sure you get the documentation from your doctor and reasons why. it shouldnt be a huge issue :) good luck!
~Mel/23/LOBPI
AngelaW
Posts: 240
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:03 pm
Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: X

Re: Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Post by AngelaW »

What a load of crap! I always wore seatbelts like that even before the accident because I'm short enough that they cut me off at an uncomfortable angle and I've never had a problem. Must have been the state trooper's time of the month. It really shows how much of the enforcement of the law is dependent on the mood of the law enforcer. I agree with all of the above. Get a doctor's note and fight that ticket. (In fact I'm going to get a doctor's note just to be safe) I'm sorry that happened as I'm sure it felt like a slap in the face.
Maybe the state troopers should worry more about ALL the people on motorcycles WITHOUT helmuts on then one person who is actiually wearing his seatbelt.......... :evil:
gooftwo
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Jan 27, 2010 1:34 pm
Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: c4,5,6,7 and t1 all avulsed,no left arm movement and fingers twich but no control.Had left arm removed at the shoulder.
Location: tacoma,wa.

Re: Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Post by gooftwo »

I always keep the seat belt under my elbow to support my arm but if I got pulled over i think the beer in my lap and the phone in my ear might get me in more trouble than the seat belt and the pills in the console.
ipeverywhere

Re: Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Post by ipeverywhere »

I've seen this question come up a lot and it worries me.

A few things to note. One is to read this website http://www.buckleupnc.org/using_belts.cfm
There is a very simple diagram of how wearing a belt incorrectly may cause a spinal injury. Another thing to be aware of is that the shoulder strap is there to prevent your body from moving forward in an accident. A big reason you don't want your body moving forward in an accident is that there will be an airbag coming at you at over 200MPH. The idea is to hit the airbag as it deflates and not as it inflates.

If you can't use the shoulder belt then talk to your doctor in order to come up with a solution. Look at alternatives like maybe a 5 point or other configuration seatbelt. Car manufactures may have suggestions as well. Talk to your dealer or call the manufacturer of your vehicle. Most will have a department that specializes in solving problems like this and may very well do it for free.

The risk of loosing complete function in your affected arm may be less of a risk then the alternative.
mspennyloafer
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 10:46 am
Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: mild TOS/winged shoulders/hypermobile then

march 2010
experienced intense BPI type sx then numb hands,
august 2010 sensation came back to hands but then lifted weights improperly and numb hands came back, NO health ins. at the time

Re: Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Post by mspennyloafer »

ive had this problem 2x now in atlanta
suzannesteam
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 6:53 pm
Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: My now 18 year old son had a TBPI in a football game 1 Sep 2010 with his right arm at age 17. His C5-T1 are avulsed. Since then, he's had two surgeries at the Mayo Clinic. First one was left gracilis to right arm (2/11) and spinal accessory nerve transfer. Second one was right gracilis to right arm and transfer of 5 intercostal nerves (4/11). As of now, he has elbow flexion across his chest and slight finger movement/control).
Location: NJ

Re: Seatbelts - A pain in the .....

Post by suzannesteam »

Thought I should add this comment. Recently we went on a 3+ hour car ride when my 17 year old TBPI was in the third seat of our suburban and fell asleep. When he woke up, the seat belt had slipped under his arm which was in a cast from recent surgery (free muscle & intercostals nerve transfer). He was unable to lift his arm up due to the position of his arm in the cast and plus it would have damaged the work the Mayo just did. We had to cut the seat belt to get it off of him, it was getting tighter and tighter no matter what we did. So, make sure you have something to cut that seat belt.
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