A doctor has revealed the terrifying consequences of not wearing a seatbelt by sharing a patient’s chilling medical scans.
Dr Sam Ghali, an American emergency response medic, posted a 3D representation of the damage a young female patient suffered from a serious crash.
The clip, viewed over half-a-million times on X, shows the catastrophic damage to the unnamed patient’s shattered ribcage.
Dr Ghali said the young woman had been driving at high speed before crashing, with her vehicle rolling over multiple times
Unfortunately, she was not wearing a seatbelt which resulted in her being flung from the vehicle and landing with devastating impact.
Pointing to the scan, Dr Ghali highlighted the extensive damage to the right side of her chest.
‘She has essentially broken every single rib on this right side,’ he said.
‘Not only are they fractured, they are 100 per cent displaced with very significant shortening or overlap.’
A doctor has revealed the terrifying consequences of not wearing a seatbelt by sharing a patient’s chilling medical scans
Such shortened or overlapped ribs mean they have come out of their normal position, which can cause ongoing agonising pain and difficulty breathing.
Moving on to her left side Dr Ghali showcased the multiple fractures in this side of the ribcage including one specific one which had broken in two separate places.
‘What happens is, you get this segment of rib that is free floating, and the reason I’m pointing this out is when this happens with two or three contiguous ribs that whole segment become free floating and detaches from the rest of the ribcage,’ he said.
‘That’s famously known as flail chest.’
Flail chest is a life-threatening medical emergency where the damaged ribs interfere with the lungs working properly, leading to dangerous breathing difficulties.
Patients suffer agonising pain and often need a mechanical ventilator to help them breathe.
Dr Ghali highlighted how you could see a ventilator tube on the woman’s scan as well with several other tubes and wires designed to help treat the internal injuries she suffered to her chest, as well as keeping her spine stable.
He added the patient’s injuries weren’t limited to her ribcage with the woman also suffering extensive injuries to her limbs, spine fractures, a traumatic brain injury as a result of the crash.
This Government chart shows the percentage of fatalities from drivers and passengers in a car accident who had not been wearing a seatbelt over time
However, in what he described as a ‘miracle’ she survived.
But Dr Ghali added the scan served as cautionary tale about the importance of wearing a seatbelt while in vehicle.
‘She survived, but you can imagine all the pain and suffering and rehabilitation she had to go through,’ he said.
‘Wear your seatbelt.’
Social media users expressed their shock over the extent of the woman’s injuries.
‘That had to be so painful. I had four broken ribs before and was miserable. Can’t imagine this,’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘Incredible that people are capable of surviving something like this.’
One user even shared their own experience, highlighting the difference wearing a seatbelt made
‘I flipped my tiny Escort on its roof, going about 70mph,’ they wrote.
‘I was wearing my seat belt. I walked away with a scrape on my knee and a bruise from the seat belt. That’s it. Seat belts save lives.’
The latest British Government data show that of 410 car fatalities in 2023, a quarter involved a person not wearing a seatbelt.
That data shows men were far likely to die not wearing a seatbelt.
Almost one in three of the deaths in males were not wearing a seatbelt compared to just one in six in women.
By age, 35 to 44-year-olds were the most likely to die from not wearing a seatbelt at 37.1 per cent.
Not wearing a seatbelt while in a vehicle is punishable by a fine of up to £500 in the UK.
