Car plunge:seat belt saved woman's life

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - You might say it's a miracle 31-year-old Erin Juarez made it out of this wreckage alive Monday.

Springfield Police Sergeant John Delaney says she was parking on the 4th floor of a Dwight Street garage, when her foot slipped off the brake pedal, hit the gas and broke through the safety barrier.

"Nowhere in the world did she expect that she'd be tumbling 3 stories off a parking garage. She was wearing a seatbelt. It saved her life," he said.

Juarez is 4 months pregnant. She was treated for minor injuries at Baystate Medical Center and released.

This accident reminds drivers of the importance of buckling up. "I really think it's the one small thing you can do that can make a big difference," said Alicia Conway of West Springfield.

Sgt. Delaney says still, many drivers choose to go unprotected--ignoring the fact that seatbelts save lives.

The national seatbelt campaign called "Click it or Ticket" has helped increase the national seatbelt usage rate to 83-percent.