'It could have been so much worse'
Minnesota woman credits seat belt with saving her life, thanks bystanders for their help
Sept. 16, 2022
Angie Kupczak, right, could have been killed in March in a head-on traffic crash. She was saved by her seat belt — and the quick thinking of Will St. Germaine, left. Angie Kupczak was floored when her coworker said she would never use a seat belt again.
Kupczak's seat belt injured her abdomen in a March 31 crash. It also saved her life.
“I am here today because I was wearing a seat belt," Kupczak said. “I get up every morning. I still have pain in my leg, but as soon as my foot hits the floor, I know it could have been so much worse."
Kupczak was driving to work on a two-lane highway in Forest Lake when she was hit head-on. Roads were slick so she was taking it easy. But the driver in the on-coming lane lost control and that vehicle slammed into Angie at highway speeds.
The vehicle that struck Angie Kupczak’s head-on, left, caught fire after the crash. Kupczak had a compound fracture in her right leg, her heel was crushed, and her abdominal muscles were split from her seat belt, which cut deep lacerations in both sides — one of which was more than 2 inches deep.
“Think about the force that it took to get 2-and-a-half inches through the abdominal muscle. Had I not been wearing a seat belt, I would not be here today," Kupczak said. “I'm here, I'm walking. Everything is fixable."
Her other saving grace was Will St. Germaine, whom she calls her “angel on the road." St. Germaine witnessed the crash and saw the other vehicle involved begin to spark. He knew a fire was coming and was able to bear hug the injured Kupczak and take her to safety with the help of other bystanders.
Will St. Germaine demonstrates how he held Angie Kupczak as he pulled her to safety
after a traffic crash.
“I've always been a seat belt wearer. I'm even more avid about it now. Seat belts are there for a reason. They work — and Angie is living proof of that," said St. Germaine.
Stories like Kupczak's are the driving force behind the Click It or Ticket campaign organized by our Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The campaign runs Sept. 18-24 and will include extra patrols by Minnesota State Patrol troopers, deputies and officers across the state.
Our goal is to instill safe habits into all motorists, so all Minnesotans get home safely.
“Thankfully, most Minnesotans do buckle up but unbelted motorists contributed to a significant rise in traffic fatalities over the past two years," said Shannon Grabow of the OTS. “The 110 unbelted deaths last year is the highest number since 2014."
Angie Kupczak struggles to understand why anyone would not wear a seat belt.
Hers saved her life last March.
Kupczak said there is no excuse for not wearing a seat belt. Even if you're a good driver, you can't control what happens to you.
“People will say a seat belt is uncomfortable. Attending your funeral is uncomfortable," Kupczak said.
The choices you make today will affect your life forever. If you choose not to wear a seat belt, you risk a citation and a fine of more than a $100, but far worse, you risk your life.
