An elderly man is dead after a fatal two-vehicle collision in southeast Bakersfield Monday, Jan. 27, at approximately 3:30 p.m.
The impact ejected Bakersfield resident Amos Toy, 80, from the vehicle, and he died at the scene.
Have you or a loved one been involved in an accident? Speak to a lawyer for a free no obligation consultation
Or call us at (888) 699-7975
Toy was driving a Ford F-150 pickup westbound on Hermosa Road when he allegedly ran a stop sign and was broadsided by a sedan traveling on S. Edison Road. The pickup rolled, landed on its roof, and ejected Toy, who authorities state was not wearing a seat belt.
The driver of the sedan, an unidentified female, sustained unspecified injuries. Attempts to obtain the sedan driver’s name and extent of injuries were unsuccessful.
The accident is still under investigation.
Fastening up a seat belt still continues to be the safest choice passenger vehicle occupants can make.
Statistics show that that the national usage rate for 2019 was 90.7 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In 2017, seatbelts saved approximately 14,955 lives.
However, 47 percent of those killed in 2017 auto accident were not in seat belts, studies from the NHTSA indicated. That percentage translates to 37,133 people who died not wearing a seat belt. As with Toy, not buckling up can lead to ejection from the vehicle, which is usually fatal, states the NHTSA.
Using a seatbelt in a passenger vehicle can reduce fatal injury risk by 45 percent. Usage can reduce critical injury by as much as 50 percent. Likewise, buckling up in a pickup truck can slash the risk of moderate and critical injuries by 65 percent, and reduce fatal injury risk by 60 percent.