MEDIC looking into newly released seat belt technology

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Safety company, Immi released a new safety feature for the four-point seat belt last week to better protect paramedics, EMTs and their patients in serious wrecks, like rollovers.

The company added a new band to the four-point seat belt, which helps break away and slow down any forward momentum.

Deputy Director at MEDIC, Jeff Keith, said he is curious about the new feature.

"Seeing that was very interesting and we immediately reached out to our ambulance fabricators in West Jefferson, North Carolina," he said.

Keith told Channel 9, MEDIC is investigating the cost and availability of the new technology to see if it's right for the agency.

"We are looking for a little more data to see how they exactly work, but we were intrigued by what we saw," said Keith.

MEDIC currently has 35 ambulances that use a four-point seat belt. The seat belts were installed in new ambulances last year.

The rest of the fleet uses a regular shoulder strap and Keith told Channel 9 that's something they eventually want to upgrade.

"We don’t want to have accidents, number one, and we certainly don’t want anyone getting hurt," said Keith.

According to Keith, all ambulances have some type of seat belt and they come in handy.

On Friday, Channel 9 covered a minor bump on Pineville-Matthews Road. In March, a paramedic was hurt in a crash in North Charlotte. Channel 9 also covered a crash in December where an ambulance landed on its roof.

Paramedics and patients involved in all those crashes weren't seriously hurt, but it's something Keith keeps in the back of his mind.

The agency has averaged seven wrecks a year, with damage over $10,000.

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