Crashes involving ejections are often more serious than other types. Usually, ejections are through a windshield. Recently an Atlanta teen survived after she was ejected through a sunroof.
The teen survived a fatal rollover crash in Florida in July. The crash was caused by an animal running across the road, deputies said.
A report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailed the crash that 16-year-old Jamie Bennett, of Marietta, Georgia survived.
Tragically, a 16-year-old girl died in the crash. Two other people from the Naples area of Florida were in the car in the June 30 rollover crash, according to the local sheriff’s office.
The driver later told deputies that an animal crossed in front of the car. She swerved but lost control, hitting a tree and a brick structure.
Bennett was in the front seat before she fell out of the sunroof, according to reports. She was released from the hospital soon after the crash, deputies said.
A report in the AJC noted none of the teens in the car were wearing seatbelts. Investigators don’t believe alcohol was a factor in the wreck. The girl who lost her life was in the back on the driver’s side.
Teen survives after being ejected through a sunroof
Crashes involving ejection are typically more serious than others. The Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine states ejection significantly increases the risk of injury and deaths in a rollover crash.
Information from rollover crashes from 2000 – 2010 was obtained from the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) to analyze a range of factors including seatbelt use, rollover severity, vehicle type, roof crush, seating position, side curtain airbag deployment and the gender, size and age of a vehicle’s occupants.
The study found seatbelt use reduces the risk of partial ejection and virtually eliminates the risk of complete ejection. However, even people wearing seatbelts were substantially more likely to be partially ejected during rollover accidents.
Curtain airbag deployment reduced the risk of partial and complete ejection. The study stated.
“A much greater proportion of occupants who were ejected in spite of curtain airbag deployment passed through the sunroof and other portals as opposed to the adjacent side window compared to occupants who were ejected in rollovers without a curtain airbag deployment.”
The study found wearing a seatbelt is the most effective way to prevent drivers or passengers being ejected.
Too many drivers in Georgia fail to wear seat belts or to take other safety precautions. Teen drivers often flout these laws more frequently. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a Georgia auto wreck due to the fault of another driver, please call the Law Office of Michael West at (404) 913-1529.