Doug Ferrar

The (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times

GEORGETOWN, Del. — A woman sent a thank you note to a Delaware police department after she says a seat belt citation saved her husband's life.

Michele Warch said her husband, David, might not have survived a Feb. 21 crash if a Georgetown Police Department officer hadn't pulled him over in January.

"Thank you, Officer Quillen, for writing my husband that seat belt ticket a month ago," Michele said in a private Facebook message to the Georgetown PD Facebook page. "I believe that it saved his life, today. We've been married for 27 years. We're raising 2 of our grandchildren. I need him."

The message was later made public by Georgetown Police Department spokesman Detective Joey Melvin.

The accident happened in the early morning hours Tuesday near Smyrna, Del. David Warch was traveling to work in his Dodge Ram pickup when a Toyota driven by John Metheny III of Dover crossed the center line and hit him head on, according to state police.

Both vehicles were totaled. The impact removed Warch's grill, headlights and a front wheel and buckled the driver's side doors.

Metheny was airlifted to Christiana Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening. He was later cited for failing to remain in a single lane, according to Delaware State Police spokesman Master Cpl. Gary Fournier.

Warch walked away with some bruising. He was taken to Christiana to be examined and released.

Police officers often get feedback from the public in the course of their duties, but it's usually not very positive, Melvin said.

"On occasion, we get messages from the public," Melvin said. "But this is the kind of message that we don't get too often."

Michele Warch said David was issued a citation by Georgetown Police Officer Katie Quillen last month because he had his seat belt tucked under one arm instead of buckled across his torso.

With it came a $94 fine.

He didn't want to repeat the fine. So he started wearing his seatbelt correctly, his wife said.

Michele said a Delaware State Trooper at the scene told her that a belt tucked under the arm could fracture ribs, which could puncture internal organs, often fatally.

When Michele met David at Christiana, he told her, "The first thing I need to do is call that officer to say 'thank you.' "

Everybody hears the message about seat belts saving lives, Melvin said, but not everybody gets the message.

"That's pretty impactful; that's what we want to have happen," Melvin said. "We don't know what would've happened if he wasn't wearing it, but it's safe to assume his injuries would have been more substantial."

Police education strategies are guided by data from the Delaware Office of Highway Safety and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The numbers have focused these strategies on seat belt use and distracted driving.

"It does help us do our jobs to know that we have support from the public," Hughes said.