'Why Am I Alive Today?'

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Cesar R. Rivera
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  For the past 20 years I've heard many stories about how wearing seat belts can save your life. I have seen PowerPoint slides and attended several safety briefings on the subject. However, until a sunny October afternoon, it seemed that I would never see these benefits firsthand.

On this particular day, I was on my way back to my house. The weather was fair, and traffic conditions were very good. Traffic was flowing normally, and the road was dry. But faster than a blink of an eye, several years of safety training were put to the test.

At approximately 3:30 p.m. I was traveling southbound in the left lane of San Antonio's Highway 1604. Vehicles in the right lane were slowing down as they approached the Bandera Road exit ramp. Just as I was passing this line of cars, a driver traveling in the right lane swerved into my lane hoping to avoid rear ending the vehicle in front of him. Just as he pulled out of his lane, I slammed on the brakes; however, I could not avoid crashing into the left side of his vehicle.

After initial impact, my vehicle rolled three or four times. When my vehicle finally stopped, it was upside down in the grassy median just off the left lane. At this time I found myself still in the overturned vehicle, still on my seat, and still holding onto the steering wheel. Then, I reached for the door handle, opened the door, unbuckled my seat belt and walked away from the vehicle.

My vehicle was a total loss. The roof had collapsed, one rear wheel had sheared off from the axel, and the front windshield was shattered. Despite that tremendous vehicle damage, I managed to walk away from this incident with only a bruised shoulder and ribcage, along with a superficial cut to a middle finger.

Some will say that I was lucky. However, I do not consider the lack of severe injuries just pure luck. This was the result of several years of safety training. This was the result of PowerPoint presentations on seat belt safety and the result of monthly seat belt checks. Had it not been for such rigorous training and an aggressive program, the outcome of this accident could have been much different. Because I was wearing my seat belt, I was not thrown out and away from the vehicle, nor was I thrown around within the car. I remained conscious and able to walk on my own.

Safety training saves lives on duty and off, at home station or thousands of miles away in the middle of combat. In my case, I was within 2 miles of reaching my house.

In spite of this terrible accident, I walked away. Why am I alive today? Lucky? Maybe. All I can say is that I am alive, thanks to the many years of safety training. I am alive because I listened. I am alive because I buckled up.