SHAPLEIGH, Maine — “Had it not gone the way it did, had she been in the passenger seat, we would probably be going to a funeral,” said Brenda Sturgis after her daughter walked away from a serious accident without a scratch.
On Friday night, 16-year-old Stacie Sturgis was driving down West Road when she hit the washed-out shoulder, lost control of the car, slid to the other side of the road, hit a tree and totaled the vehicle. Stacie told CBS 13, “I just closed my eyes and let whatever was going to happen, happen.”
Officers told her if she hadn’t been wearing her seatbelt the crash may have taken a different turn. “I’ve been spreading the word about how important it is to wear a seatbelt and how it really did save my life,” Stacie Sturgis said. “The paramedics told me if I hadn’t been wearing it I could’ve been thrown out the window.”
Stacie says she’ll continue to advocate for seatbelt safety and her mom plans on turning the accident into something positive too. Sturgis said she wants crews to fix West Road. The accident report we reviewed included a comment from police saying the shoulder is washed out. Brenda said, “I went and talked to the neighbors yesterday. I already reached out to the DOT commissioner and sent him the police report … we got lucky, but someone else might not.”
For now, though, the family plans on relaxing, recovering and enjoying their Christmas miracle.