A Tragic Reminder about Seatbelt Safety
The Southside Sentinel has an article about a tragic accient involving a local teenager.
On December 12th, a 17 year-old junior of Christchurch School was killed in a single vehicle accident on Bluff Point Road in Northumberland County. The teen, Ryan Mitchell Wilcox of Kilmarnock, Virginia, was pronounced dead on the scene sometime shortly after 9:00 p.m.
The wreck itself didn’t seem very damaging at first glance. According to Virginia State Police, Wilcox was heading east when he lost control of the 1998 GMC Sierra pickup he was driving at the time. After swerving off of the road, Wilcox’s truck struck a mailbox and then went back across the roadway where it went off of the left side of the road and struck a tree.
Weather did not seem to be a factor in the accident, nor did alcohol consumption. One thing that was taken away from the accident was that Wilcox was not wearing his seat belt at the time of impact. It is also not known whether or not Wilcox may have fallen asleep behind the wheel. As of December 16th, the accident remains under investigation.
Wilcox is one of many teens to have died in the last year due to neglecting to wear a seat belt. While state police remain relentless in enforcing seat belt laws across the state, it is simply a law that the majority of people need to hold themselves accountable for. With winter weather on everyone’ minds as of late, the importance of seat belt safety should be of vital importance to all individuals on the roads.