July 5 marks National Injury Prevention Day, and London Health Sciences Centre has chosen its theme for this year: seatbelts.
Summer is a time when many people are taking road trips or driving up north to cottages, which makes this a perfect time to promote seatbelt use. Ontario Provincial Police have previously said that summer months, specifically August, are the deadliest months on the road.
In a poll done by LHSC for its Impact Program, students from grades 9-12 were asked about their seatbelt use from January to June. Ninety per cent of those polled said they had been in a car with someone who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, and 75 per cent reported not wearing a seatbelt themselves. The reasons included simply forgetting and only travelling a short distance. The program also asked students if they would ride in a car that had more people than seatbelts, and 69 per cent said they would.
LHSC’s injury prevention team which runs the Impact Program, interacted with approximately 1,200 students this past school year. The injury prevention specialists teach students how to have conversations with their peers about buckling up and talk about the importance of not getting into a vehicle driven by someone who’s under the influence.
At LHSC, motor vehicle collisions (MVC) are the number one cause of injury for both adults and pediatric patients. In 2022, 238 MVCs identified as traumas arrived at the adult emergency department, but in 2023, this number jumped to 358. In 2022, 70 MVCs identified as traumas arrived at the Children’s Hospital emergency department, rising to 95 in 2023.
To share the importance of wearing a seatbelt, one family is coming forward to share their story in hopes of saving even one life. The Mitchell family was involved in a serious car crash on Feb. 25, 2023.
“Although our story is very tragic, it could have been worse if the children didn’t have their seatbelts on,” Jessica Mitchell says.
Mitchell has three children: Layla, Oliver and Monroe. Her husband Jason was driving Layla and Oliver home from a hockey game, while Jessica and Monroe stayed later to watch the next game. When driving through Kerwood, Ont., the Mitchells’ SUV collided with a pickup truck, and Jason, father to the children, died from his injuries.
Layla and Oliver were rushed to LHSC due to the severity of their injuries. Oliver required surgery for a bowel resection and had cracked ribs and a broken leg.
“They were making decisions to save (Layla’s) life second by second because (her injuries) were so severe,” Mitchell says. “She had multiple lacerations and contusions internally and externally, a broken nose, a bleed going into her aorta … and more than I can remember right now. They couldn’t perform surgery because of the aorta bleed, and she also had a couple strokes in the hospital.”
Both Oliver and Layla were wearing seatbelts, which Mitchell credits with saving their lives.
“It was really important for (Layla) to get this story out here. Even if it makes one more person buckle up, that’s one more life that can be saved.”
Layla says “seatbelts are there for a reason.”
“They’re not just decoration, so buckle up, it could save your life,” she says.
“And slow down,” Mitchell adds.
LHSC experts also recommend making sure all objects in a vehicle are secured so they don’t become projectiles in the event of a crash.