MOUNT GILEAD – Fredericktown resident Mason Finnell joined Ohio’s “Saved by the Belt” Club on Wednesday after his safety belt saved him from sustaining life-threatening injuries. The incident occurred on Township Road 394 in Knox County on Oct. 7.

Ohio State Highway Patrol Lieutenant G.S. Grewal, Mount Gilead Post commander, presented Finnell with a “Saved by the Belt” certificate signed by Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Thomas J. Stickrath and Colonel Richard S. Fambro, Patrol superintendent.

“Mason is a living testimony to the effectiveness of safety belts,” Grewal said. “Everyone needs to buckle up every trip, every time.”

Provisional data from 2019 shows that 457 people in Ohio were killed in traffic crashes where a safety belt was available but not in use.

The “Saved by the Belt” Club is a joint effort by the Ohio Department of Public Safety and more than 400 Ohio law enforcement agencies. The club is designed to recognize people who have benefited from their decision to wear safety belts.

Mason also received a “Saved by the Belt” license plate bracket.