Tips if You’re Trapped in a Car

A vehicle crashed into a utility pole in Franklin County recently. The car crash killed the driver, Evan Alexander Tucker of Franklinton, and the only passenger, Richard Wade Halford of Wake Forest. Both men were twenty-two and Marines.

Officers are still investigating the cause of the accident. The impact of the crash ejected Halford who was found outside the vehicle. Tucker was trapped inside the vehicle when it went on fire. Both men did not survive the car accident.

If you survive a car accident, but become trapped in a vehicle like Tucker, you can still try to escape depending on your injuries and the way you're trapped in the car. Special escape safety devices are available for anyone who is concerned about being trapped in their car. These car escape tools are able to break car window glass and cut seat belts.

Auto glass is tempered, which means it is very difficult to break and when it does break it will fall into large pieces. Tempered glass is meant to protect drivers and their passengers, but when people are trapped in a car that goes on fire, like in Tucker's accident, or if it becomes submerged in a river or lake, breaking the glass becomes essential. Most car windows can't even be broken with a brick, according to Save Your Life, a website devoted to car escape safety tools. The site also reports that each year not 100 or 200 people are involved with water immersion auto accidents, but 10,000!

It takes only two minutes for a car to completely fill with water. If you're trapped in a sinking vehicle, follow these tips to escape:

• Brace yourself for impact - place hands on the steering wheel in the "10 and 2" position - since the airbag system may be deployed.
• Take off seat belts after impact to avoid belts locking and getting yourself and passengers trapped in the car. If you're traveling with children, start unbuckling the oldest child first so that they can help tend to younger ones.
• Open windows as soon as you're in the water. If you open a door, you increase the sinking process. It's also scientifically impossible to open a door when a car is submerged unless the pressure is equalized, which means the entire vehicle needs to be flooded with water. Open windows will be your escape route. If windows aren't opening, use a tool or object to break them and aim for the center.
• Escape through a window and swim to the surface as fast as possible.

Car accident attorneys in Fayetteville, Raleigh and Dunn handle car accident cases for innocent victims who have suffered lost wages, pain and suffering and injuries due to someone else's negligence. Whether the accident was caused by another driver breaking the law, a negligent construction zone or defective car parts, our car crash lawyers at Brent Adams & Associates can help injured car accident survivors receive the compensation they deserve.