In an accident and I am lucky to be alive

Heisenberg · Mar 20, 2017

I was in an accident yesterday. I flipped 3 times from what eyewitnesses said. Another driver was the cause of it but I don’t want to get into that aspect.

I am able to write this post because of a couple of things. My roll cage and my seatbelts. I really want to caution anyone who does not have a roll cage and at least a shoulder seat belt. They both saved my life yesterday. I should be dead. I cannot believe I am alive. I saw my truck today and it is completely destroyed but the roll cage did not budge and it is still perfectly square. Please do not skimp on this piece of your build or bronco because I am proof that it will save your life. Buy the best built cage possible.

My seatbelts were 3 point belts that all the vendors sell. They work as they should and held me suspended in my truck once my truck stopped rolling. If you only have lap belts make sure to make this relatively inexpensive investment TODAY.

I have no major injuries, just some soreness, small cuts and bruises. Be careful driving these trucks we all love and take every precaution possible. I know this sounds simple, but many of us figure things won’t happen to us. They do. Be safe.

gavindg · Mar 20, 2017

Wow, glad you are ok!
Were you on the highway or side streets?
I just finished installing them on every seat this weekend with the Family Roll Bar.

Digger556 · Mar 20, 2017

That's heartbreaking!

I'm glad you're okay though! That's the most important part.

I didn't take my kids anywhere in the Bronco until it had a full cage and 3-pts all-around. Just too many stupid people driving around.

Skiddy · Mar 20, 2017

oh my so glad that you are ok, the bronco can be replaced. I can see the front of the roll bar that if it weren't there you may have been crushed.
I just use my lap belt instead of the full harness driving around town (that I just started doing in the last month). I really need to get some 3 point belts

buck68 · Mar 20, 2017

Thank you for sharing. I'm glad to hear you're good. We installed a family cage and 3 point belts in my son's Bronco last year. He will be driving his Bronco solo before long. He will definitely see this thread.

lonesouth · Mar 20, 2017

glad you're ok! One of the reasons I've gone 3 point front and rear.

okie4570 · Mar 20, 2017

So glad you were equipped and are ok! If you would, what brand of roll cage, tied to the frame, and what speed were you going?

Glad you're safe!!

Heisenberg · Mar 20, 2017

Thanks guys. I really just want to caution everyone, I survived for a reason and hopefully it saves someone else's life.

The roll cage was a smitty built that someone added a front cage to. I had this looked at by several builders and they all agreed it was sound, and as it turned out it was. It was not tied to the frame but was attached at 6 different points. If I were ever to buy one again, I'd probably by BC's because they have actually tested it proven it works. I was on the freeway going about 50-55mph.

The one thing I noticed looking at my truck today is that my brand new seats did fail. Something else to think about when you are building/upgrading. In a way though, the seat failure possibly prevented my head from hitting the roll cage. Who knows.

Seriously be safe guys.

Rustytruck · Mar 20, 2017

I am glad you made it through safely. Did the structure of the seats fail or is there another reason they look the way they do? Good thing you had the front hoop or you would have been wearing the windshield. Take it easy for a while and let the compression in you body work its way out. Glad your knoggin didn't find pavement or steel. Was your roll cage tied to the frame or just bolted to strong parts of the body?

Rustytruck · Mar 20, 2017

I was typing while you were responding to questions I haven't asked yet. thank You.

bronco loco · Mar 20, 2017

Glad you ok, that is why I have a full cage on my bronco along with the three point harness. My daughters love to ride on the bronco.

WheelHorse · Mar 20, 2017

Glad that you were able to report back after this sort of accident. A great reminder of what can happen and certainly what makes a life saving difference.

sykanr0ng · Mar 20, 2017

Heisenberg said:
Thanks guys. I really just want to caution everyone, I survived for a reason and hopefully it saves someone else's life.

The roll cage was a smitty built that someone added a front cage to. I had this looked at by several builders and they all agreed it was sound, and as it turned out it was. It was not tied to the frame but was attached at 6 different points. If I were ever to buy one again, I'd probably by BC's because they have actually tested it proven it works. I was on the freeway going about 50-55mph.

The one thing I noticed looking at my truck today is that my brand new seats did fail. Something else to think about when you are building/upgrading. In a way though, the seat failure possibly prevented my head from hitting the roll cage. Who knows.

Seriously be safe guys.

There are a lot of counterfeit seats sold.
They do not meet the safety standards of the real seats and often fail in accidents.

Definitely buyer beware when buying seats.

broncoeddie1970 · Mar 20, 2017

Man i'm glad you're ok...

BCH BRCO · Mar 20, 2017

Glad you did not get injured. Thanks for sharing and the inspirational advice.

Bronco Junkie · Mar 20, 2017

Glad you are OK!! So sorry about your Bronco.

Was your roll cage bolted to the floor or welded to the frame? I have always wondered if bolting to the floor was strong enough. Both of mine are bolted to the floor.

I went back and looked at your pic...I see it is bolted.

stus70brc · Mar 20, 2017

I'm glad your alive and ok!! You gonna fix the bronco???

garberz · Mar 20, 2017

Glad you made it through OK and bringing this to everyone's attention.

Mark

cody72sport · Mar 20, 2017

I was in the passenger seat in a high speed rollover in my brothers 73 bronco in 2006. laps belts, bikini top, 4 point roll cage. Still have problems with my wrist from a chunk of glass that founds its way in there.

mavman427 · Mar 20, 2017

Thanks for sharing, it definitely is something that is worth talking about as it could save lives. I'm glad to hear you had a cage and a 3-point seat belt and ended up coming out of it relatively unscathed.

There are many aftermarket seats out there that don't meet federal motor vehicle standards. Various manufacturers, depending on how sleezy they are, have disclaimers or fine print stating that the seats are not intended for on-road/highway use or they just neglect to mention the topic at all. It can be hard to tell whether aftermarket seats are up to snuff or not. I found all of this out when I worked as a design engineer for a commercial vehicle manufacturer. In order to get aftermarket seats that met the federal motor vehicle standards, we ended up designing a strong seat mount, purchasing robust seats, and sending a sacrificial seat and mount to a lab to do testing to certify it. If seat manufacturers actually met the standards, they would have to do the same thing. Many choose not to as it can be time consuming and costly and many seats would never pass.

As far as roll cages go, I think even a basic cage would be pretty effective. Even a basic cage is probably a ten-fold or more improvement over the strength of the original windshield frame, door, and hard top (if it's there). And while some people make a stink about the quality of welds on roll cages, there is plenty of weld material and strength there even if less than perfect welding is performed on the roll cage to protect the occupants. In my mind, a roll cage is a necessity for a modified Bronco. These cars did not handle well stock, let alone after they are modified. There are no air bags or crumple zones, they are prone to rolling over, many have a steering shaft that can skewer you, etc. I've even considered putting a sort of sheet metal pan and padding over the driver and passenger head areas to prevent somebody from knocking their head on the pavement in the event of a rollover.

In an accident and I am lucky to be alive

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