Driving

[catwoman]

Do you want to injure the sternum?

Do you want to injure the sternum?

Few people are going to heed my warning but ...
If you are in an accident, that airbag will probably deploy and you stand a fairly good chance of reinjuring your chest.

My husband, John, was hit head-on 12/7/05 about 2 miles from our house. He was going about 30mph. Other driver was at fault, going too fast, was trying to pass a car on road slick with sleet. The airbag deployed in John's car. His sternum was fractured by the airbag, which also left his hand injured. His chest was very swollen, bruised for about 3 weeks.

My RN sister told me the aorta can be badly injured by an airbag. The ER physician said, yep, it can.
A friend's sister died when her airbag deployed -- stopped her heart.

So ... if I ever, ever, ever have OHS again, you can bet that I'll ride in the back seat until I know my sternum is healed. I won't sneak out driving like I did @ 3 weeks to get a What-a-Burger Junior hamburger.

It was too blankety-blank physically hard to drive until about 6 weeks post-op, as it was....

BTW, my husband is still having pain from his hand. Repeat X-rays show no fracture, but I'm wondering about a hairline fracture that won't show up. The other driver was an unemployed, homeless, uninsured driver. After 3 weeks, our insurance totaled John's car. It was 8 years old, had 179,000 miles (John was the original owner), and hail damage. He got $5,500 for it, after our uninsured motorist deductible. Couple of thou out in medical bills.

 

[sue943]

Driving

It didn't occur to me to try to drive at less than six weeks. I have just looked in the booklet published by the British Heart Foundation and they say four weeks, but they wouldn't be taking into consideration my heart block, by the time I came home from hospital after that episode it was already more than three weeks post op and I was very groggy.

As for the airbag, I disabled mine and keep it disabled. Having said that, I live somewhere with only one dual carriageway and a maximum speed limit of 40mph, in places it is only 15mph.

What I have on my seat belt is a clip to stop the belt tightening, in the event of sudden braking the clip releases the belt so it functions normally.

 

[Guest]

*grins shyly*

Ahwe, shucks, Ann ... thank you . He he he....you're priceless, too, ya know .


And, Marsha, I definitely was concerned about the airbag "back then" ... but, now, none of my cars have airbags...so, the airbag problems aren't so much an issue for me.... And, sorry that the aftermath of your husband's accident is in such a state ... thoughts/prayers coming your way, you know....

 

[KAJ]

I completely agree with tobagotwo's list but would to like add one more.
I was told I could start driving again after 4 weeks. I did but I found my reaction times were really slow. I made some really bone head moves I know I would not have made before the surgery. I cannot help but wonder if many of the meds from 14 days in the hospitlal were still in my system for several weeks after my discharge.

I even had an accident (completely my fault) a month after I started driving. I was not hurt. I put a hole in my bumper but smashed the passenger door on the other vehicle. I was completely off all pain meds at that time.

I know my lack of reaction time was not due to not having driven for a few weeks. While in the Navy, I made several deployments for months at a time. When I returned home each time, it took only one or two short trips to get the hang of it again.

Karl