Unused seat belt made the difference in crash that killed 17-year-old

Star Tribune

Last update: February 6, 2008 - 1:46 AM

A fatal distinction stood out between traffic accident victims Britney Stiehl and Randy Rusert. He had on his seat belt. She did not.

Their vehicles collided head-on Monday afternoon on snow- and slush-covered Hwy. 14 in Winona County, killing the 17-year-old Stiehl, the State Patrol said Tuesday.

Rusert, 54, of Utica, Minn., had "no apparent injury," the patrol report said.

Airbags deployed in both vehicles.

The crash on the east-west highway happened about 1:45 p.m. Monday near Stockton.

Stiehl, of St. Charles, Minn., was a senior at St. Charles High School.

"We lose far too many people on our roads because they aren't buckled up," Dawn Duffy, spokeswoman for the AAA in Minneapolis said Tuesday.

"In the average lifetime," Duffy said, "only one in 100 people will never be involved in a crash -- only one."

Duffy added that Stiehl "will undoubtedly be missed by all who knew her. And in her memory, I hope they all buckle up: every person, every seat, every time."

Stiehl's death was announced Tuesday morning to high school students during first period, principal Hank Welle said, adding that Stiehl was an "excellent student who will be greatly missed."

PAUL WALSH

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