The Postal Service is reminding employees that wearing a seat belt while operating a vehicle could be a lifesaving move.
On Dec. 15, 2022, Riegelsville, PA, Postmaster Drew Boardman set out for a nearby Post Office where he was asked to help out.
A light snow had made the rural road he was driving on a little slick.
“I was going about 25,” he said. “I’ve always been a cautious driver. And I always wear my seat belt.”
Coming around a curve, a larger vehicle from the opposite direction was traveling too fast for the slippery conditions and veered into Boardman’s lane.
The two vehicles collided head-on.
The impact was devastating. Boardman couldn’t move his left arm because it was broken in two places. His femur was shattered, his kneecap was broken and his right foot and ankle were crushed. He was also bleeding internally.
It took two hours and 20 emergency responders to get him out of his SUV.
“The tow truck driver thought I was dead. The police thought I was dead,” Boardman said.
His injuries, however, were limited to his limbs. He suffered no head trauma because the seat belt kept him from going through the windshield.
Boardman spent four months in the hospital after the accident, and he has undergone 10 surgeries, with another major ankle surgery on the horizon. It’s only been a year since he started walking again.
“The seat belt saved my life,” he said.
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