Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson remains hospitalized following a .
Patterson is in stable condition and recovering from orthopedic injuries at McLaren Hospital in Pontiac, his staff has said.
According to a statement released Monday afternoon by Patterson's office, Chief Deputy County Executive Gerald Poisson met with Patterson’s staff Monday morning to go over county business.
"Brooks’ team has been in place a long time,” Poisson said. “They all do a great job."
Patterson was the passenger in a car traveling east on Walton Boulevard around 4 p.m. Friday when a car turning left onto Opdyke from westbound Walton turned in front of Patterson's car at a flashing yellow light, according to news reports.
According to a report on ClickonDetroit.com, Patterson was not wearing a seatbelt.
Patterson, 73, has been the county executive for 18 years. After receiving an influx of flowers at the hospital over the weekend, Patterson's staff asked that get-well-soon gifts be sent as a donation to , the half-marathon race in Rochester that Patterson founded five years ago. The donations will help fund Brooksie Way Minigrants, which are awarded to Oakland County organizations that promote health and wellness. Send donations to:
- The Brooksie Way; P.O. Box 81576; Rochester, MI 48308
In addition, you can send cards to Patterson here:
- Get Well Brooks; c/o County Executive Office; 2100 Pontiac Lake Road; Waterford, MI, 48328-0409
Your screen rage is just as alarming as road rage . . . and upholds the validity if your screen name.
Here's how Charlie Langton, legal analyst on WWJ Radio, put it on the air this morning: “I have to admit, I am surprised. I think everybody in this world now knows, if you get into a car, you have to wear a seatbelt. It’s kind of drilled into you. "Why these people didn’t have [on] seatbelts is bizzare to me. L. Brooks Patterson should have had the seatbelt on – his driver should have had his seatbelt on – not only because it’s the law, but it may have prevented serious injuries that these two now have suffered. ”The law is very clear: If you are driving in a car, if you are a passenger or a driver, you must wear a seatbelt.” The Auburn Hills Police Department's investigating officer still could issue citations to the county executive and chauffeur James Cram, Langton told listeners. [http://cbsloc.al/Nv85pF]
Honestly, both he and his driver (surprised he has a driver, too) are lucky they weren't killed by the inflating air bags--one of the biggest things seat belts now protect you from is being struck by the bags full on as they inflate at over 200 mph.
Data from long-term National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) studies do NOT support the counter-productive theory, even for side impacts. Particularly now that most cars have air bags. A particularly disturbing finding - that the unbelted person acts as an incredibly forceful, high speed projectile within the car - injuring, often crushing to death, belted and unbelted passengers in the car. Thus, when you decide not to buckle, you're not just expressing your individual freedom - you're making a potentially life or death decision for your fellow passengers.
I wouldn’t say I’m ever the type to say “ha” at anyone’s accident regardless of any perceived “fault”, just careful about floating out ideas that change basic safety protocol unless it’s based on hard data. And, I make no assumption of anyone being a r-winger. Some folks are just plain old strict Libertarians, which I think is good to keep in the mix. Thanks for sharing your insight -
I"m an "M" plate daily driver. I have to be careful. If I make a mistake I am required to own up to it.