Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Paged Income Protection When You Can't Work Since August 1, 1985, accident and sickness benefits for hourly employees who are disabled by off-the-job injury or sickness have been paid direct ly by Clinton Mills. The self-insured benefit pay ments are being made much faster by in-house processing of claims by the personnel department staff than they were previously by an insurance company. Here are some important points about the disability benefit plan: •The basic benefit paid for you by Clinton Mills is $50 a week. •You may elect to purchase additional amounts, based on hourly earnings up to an additional $50 per week. •To be eligible for benefits, you must be com pletely unable to work at any job for pay. You must be under the direct care of a doctor of medicine. •While the plan covers most disabilities, pay ments are not made for disabilities resulting from these and other similar causes: —Intentionally self-inflicted injuries —Job related injuries or illnesses (The company provides Workers' Compensation for job related in jury or illness. An amendment was made to the plan earlier this month to more specifically clarify eligi bility regarding on-the-job injury and illness. Injury or illnesses job related are not covered by the plan.) —Committing or attempting to commit a felony and —Attempted suicide. Let's Buckle Up Otis Brewington tells how he caught this 32-pound catfish while fishing at Santee. Wildlife Preserved Death and injury can be prevented with the use of safety belts. Safety belts first appeared as a production option in cars in 1955. As cars have improved in comfort, reliability and safety, so has the technology of driver and passenger protection. Still, after all these years, there remains a basic lack of understanding about the pro tection afforded by safety belts and the dan ger inherent in not using them. The answers to the following questions provide some of the simplest, yet most com pelling reasons why use of safety belts is so vital. 1. Q. Do safety belts really prevent injury and death in highway crashes? A. Lap and shoulder belts, when worn, reduce a person's chance of being killed or seriously injured by at least 60 percent. —For crashes above 40 mph, studies of accident victims show that only about three percent of occupants were wearing their belts when they needed them. —Of every 100 occupants who suffer se rious or fatal injuries, 57 could have been saved if they had used restraints. 2. Q. Will safety belts allow a person to walk away from a crash? A. In some very severe collisions there is no restraint that would be effective in pre venting injury. High-speed and severe side collisions, in which there is intrusion of another vehicle in the passenger compart ment, are examples. However, most fatal injuries occur in front and angle collisions at speeds of less than 35 mph. 3. Q. What is the real purpose of safety belts? How do they help people in crashes? A. Belts help people in six ways: —There is a "riding down” benefit, in which the belt stops the wearer as the car stops, which at 30 mph takes one one- hundredth of a second. —The belt keeps the head and face of the wearer from striking objects like the steering wheel rim, windshield or dashboard. —The belt spreads the stopping force widely across the strong parts of the body. —Belts prevent vehicle occupants from colliding with each other. —Belts help the driver maintain vehicle control, thus decreasing the possibility of an additional collision. —Belts keep occupants in the car. 4. Q. Isn’t it better to be thrown clear of the car? A. The chances of being killed are 25 times greater if ejected. Just as the body is not designed for high speed impact with the windshield, it is not designed for high speed impact with the ground, concrete or trees. It is better to stay inside the protection of the car. 5. Q. Must an occupant wear a safety belt in the back seat of a car? A. Forone’sown safety—to prevent being thrown from the car — and for the safety of the other occupants, it is essential that an occupant wear a safety belt if riding in the back- seat. —During a crash, unbelted rear-seat pas sengers can be thrown into front-seat pas sengers. —During side collisions, a back-seat pas senger can be thrown into another pas senger. —One of five serious injuries result from person-to-person impact. 6. Q. Can’t motorists brace themselves in low-speed accidents? A. Adequately bracing oneself with arms and legs is almost never possible because collisions happen too fast. The car takes 1/10 of a second to stop, while the human takes only 1/100 of a second. Even if there was time to brace oneself, the several- thousand-pound force involved in most crashes is too great to withstand, even at moderate speeds. The force of the impact at just 10 mph is equal to the force of catching a 200-pound bag of cement from a first-floor window. 7. Q. How do occupants get hurt in a crash? A. In a study to determine the points of impact in auto collisions, it was found that 38 percent of the fatalities were caused by impact with the steering wheel and wind shield frame, and 22 percent involved im pacts with the side surface interior. In addi tion, 58 percent of all fatalities resulted from head and chest injuries. 8. Q. What if the lap belt does not fit due to seat positions or a person’s size? A. Belt extensions have been made avail able by the automobile manufacturers and can be purchased from a dealer. 9. Q. Can shoulder belts cause injuries? A. Accident investigators have found that the shoulder belt does not cause neck in juries, as some people fear. The shoulder belt may cause bruises and minor fractures, injuries that also may be sustained by not wearing it. Injuries caused by belts are often the result of improper use. 10. Q. Is it true that belts may trap people in a fire or under water? A. Less than .5 percent of all crashes result in fire or submersion. Belts help peo ple avoid injury and unconsciousness, thus helping them escape. 11. Q. Aren’t some people better off not wearing safety belts, such as children or pregnant women? A. According to the American Medical Association, both the pregnant woman and the fetus are safer, provided the lap belt is worn as low as possible on the pelvic area. “It’s like being in a wildlife preserve,” said a recent visitor to Otis and Betty Bre- wington's home in the Lydia community. The Brewingtons are avid hunters and fishermen and the trophies mounted on their wall are proof of their success over the years. “In the spring, summer and early fall we fish everyday,” noted Brewington, a Plant No. 1 loom technician. "My wife Betty en joys fishing, too,” he added. Betty is a Plant No. 1 weaver. Included in their collection are a 28- and 32-pound catfish and 31-pound rock bass. Other items include 2V2- and 2 3 /4-pound crappie, IOV2- and UVa-pound bass, num erous pheasants, ducks, quail and similar fish and animals. “Occasionally a friend will have an un usual catch or kill and give it to us with the condition we mount it for display,” said Mrs. Brewington. “I don't know how much we’ve spent on taxidermy work, but each item costs from $45 to $100 to preserve,” explained Bre wington. “We’re fortunate to have Paul Pat terson (Lydia spining) who preserves these for us. Paul is one of the best taxidermists in the area.” Joe Craine, a friend of the Brewingtons, has provided several items to the Brewington collection. “I’ve been hunting and fishing all my life,” added Brewington.as he explained where he had landed each of the items in his wildlife display. Despite his interest in the outdoors, he is quick to admit rabbit and squirrel hunting aren't of particular interest to him. Needless to say, they are absent from the long list of an ima Is he has preserved for others to enjoy. BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Clinton, S.C. Permit No. 59