John Maxey holds a Saved by the Belt license plate that he and wife Judy have on their vehicles. The couple was in a crash in December and say the use of their seatbelts saved their lives.
Two weeks before Christmas, John and Judith Maxey were northbound on Ohio 25 when a vehicle turned in front of them.
Their Ford F-150 struck the vehicle, flipped and narrowly missed striking a pole.
The couple, who were wearing their seatbelts, walked away from the crash and were able to celebrate Christmas with their family, including their grandchildren.
“Had it not been for our seatbelts, we would have been killed,” John Maxey said.
They are recent Saved by the Belt Award recipients and on Sept. 17 shared their story of being involved in the crash on Dec.12, 2023, and how their safety belt usage saved them from sustaining life-threatening injuries.
John Maxey, 75, suffered a broken neck and five vertebrae. Judith Maxey, 74, walked away with broken ribs as well as a broken sternum and scapula.
“We were black and blue and sore, and I still don’t have range of motion in my neck. But the fact that we’re here, somebody up above was looking out for us,” John Maxey said.
He said they were hanging upside down due to their seatbelts.
“We are in the latter part of our life, but we don’t want to end our lives that way,” he said.
“Wearing a seatbelt is one of the simplest things you can do when driving a car,” said Ohio State Highway Patrol post Commander Lt. Matthew Geer. “For our troopers, every single day, we see what happens when you do not wear a safety belt.
“I’ve never been to a crash where I’ve said ‘man, if that guy hadn’t been wearing a belt, this wouldn’t have turned out that bad,’” he said.
John Maxey showed a picture of his F-150 pickup on its hood and said they were northbound on Route 25 at 11 a.m. There was construction near Bostdorff’s greenhouse, which closed the right lane. He slowed down and changed lanes and when he moved back into the right lane, a Ford Escape turned in front of them onto Sugar Ridge Road.
He was driving 40 mph when he hit the Escape. Photos show the front end of the vehicle was sheared off.
“I don’t understand why it’s not automatic,” said John Maxey about buckling up. “I won’t back up my pickup now until Judy is hooked up.
“It’s such a simple thing to do. Even going only 40 mph, the destruction of that pickup truck was just unbelievable.”
Geer said when he pulled up to the crash, his first thought was he hoped the truck’s occupants were wearing their seatbelts.
Wearing a seat belt not only saved them from serious injury, but also saved their lives, he said.
Last year, there were 472 people in Ohio killed in auto accidents who weren’t wearing a seatbelt, Geer said. Eighty-four were in Northwest Ohio and seven were in Wood County.
This year to date “has been a horrible, horrible year in Wood County,” said Sandy Wiechman, with Safe Communities of Wood County.
There have been 17 fatalities so far – five more than last year – with seven unbelted, she said.
That number includes two bicycle fatalities.
“The numbers are going in the wrong way,” she said.
“We know that seatbelts save lives,” she said. “For certain, if some of those people had been wearing their seatbelts, they would be alive today.”
From 2019 through 2023, 2,554 people in Ohio were killed in crashes where a seatbelt was available but not used. The unbelted fatality rate in 2023 was 61%, making it the fourth consecutive year that this rate was 60% or higher.
Geer and Wiechman shared stories of people buckling their seatbelt behind them and putting a clip in the catch to keep the alert from dinging.
Kids tell her they’re tired of wearing their seatbelts, Wiechman said.
“Until they actually see something (dire), they’re not going to wear it,” she said.
“Safety belts are a proven lifesaver, and we urge every motorist to buckle up,” Geer said. “Every click of a safety belt represents a decision to prioritize life and reduce the risk of severe injury.”
John and Judy Maxey each have Save by the Belt license plates on their vehicles. He drives a newer F-150.
There is no excuse for not wearing a seatbelt, John Maxey said.
“I don’t understand that rationale,” he said.
Geer said it should be muscle memory to put it on.
“You never intend to crash, you never do it on purpose,” he said. “(The Maxeys) were not going out that day thinking they’d be in a crash.”
