Wearing seat belt could have saved Gopinath Munde's life: Dr Harsh Vardhan

Despite minor damages to the car, the confined space caused multiple injuries leading to death

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan has confirmed media reports since yesterday suggesting that the late Union Minister, Gopinath Munde, could have prevented his own death by simply wearing the seat belt of his car.

Dr Vardhan, before leaving for Beed, Maharashtra to attend the deceased Minister's funeral said, "I lost my friend to a misconception. Most people think that the back-seat belts serve only a decorative purpose. In fact wearing them is as necessary as wearing front seat belts. They can save lives in the event of impacts."

On Tuesday, Munde died within seconds of his car being allegedly rammed from the side by a motorist who jumped lights.

The damage to the minister's car was not extensive, but the force of the throw-forward within the confined space of the car damaged the atlanto-axial joint in his neck and severely injured the spinal cord.

The blood vessels carrying blood supply to the brain stem (which is the seat of respiratory and cardiac functions) were disrupted and this caused immediate cardiac and respiratory arrest. Besides, the liver was ruptured which caused profuse loss of blood, informed the Health Minister.

"I feel numbed by the realization that the nation has lost such a valuable mass leader and able minister with a proven track record in Maharashtra. I now realize the trauma of countless others whose near ones died in car crashes only because they had overlooked the importance of the seat belt," he said.

He further said that there have been many famous accident victims of this small but fatal negligence. In August 1997, Princess Diana of Britain died when the car in which she was speeding crashed against a pillar of an underground pass in Paris.